Love in Republic City
by rikuzgirl4lyfe
Summary: Ever wonder about the depths of the Krew's complicated relationships? What would have happened if there were more 'mature' elements to the story? Here we look at Korra and Mako's complicated relationship, Along with the ripples of misunderstanding that follow.
1. Meeting

"_**Asami, did you know Korra likes Mako?"**_

Korra could have leapt through her skin at Ikki's ever constant insensitivity. Its bad enough _she_ was here. The richest girl in Republic City couldn't even buy herself a nice home in the upper ring. Shame, then she wouldn't have to see both of them together all the time. Flaunting it in her face, like it was some sort of game. Korra tried to regain her composure and began the task of faking a smile. After what seemed like minutes of agonizing eternal struggle, Korra's now poker face looked up at the dark haired girl. Her painted lips parted slightly, a flicker flashing through her pale green eyes. She then gave a small smile as she thoughtfully replied "No, I wasn't completely aware of it." Beyond frustrated by her naivety, Korra grabbed the girls arm and dragged her down the hall. _She's so stupid; can someone so rich really be so oblivious to what's in front of her?_ Korra could feel her boots thumping loudly onto the wooden panels of the floor. The small gasp at the weight she was pulling behind her brought her back to reality. _Relax. She probably doesn't know. Be nice. You're the Avatar. Helping is what you do._ Korra stopped in her tracks and turned to the raven haired girl. She was very pretty, a beauty that was the very pinnacle of Fire Nation ancestry. She had flawless white skin that could blend in with the worst of the storms in the South Pole. Her bright green eyes were wide with kindness, with a passion of life. Korra found this odd that her eyes still looked this way, after all that had happen with her father these past few days. Turns out Hiroshi Sato, richest self made merchant in the city, had been collaborating with the Equalists. It didn't really surprise Korra much, since all those with _Fire _in their blood seemed to carry an element of shadiness. Well, maybe not Bolin. He may be the only exception, even with his tendency to lurk in places in which he should not. Korra sighed and caught herself smiling. Rock beats fire, by far.

"…Korra?"

The other girl was standing still, eyes widened with concern. "Ah, sorry Asami. I'll show you to your room." Korra said quickly, slightly embarrassed by her space out. Asami looked down as Korra untangled her fingers from her upper arm. _She's soft, even with such dense clothing on. Maybe that's what he likes…_

The girls walked in silence for what felt like a long while. Korra was walking slightly ahead of Asami. She did not want to walk side by side with her. She did not want to like her-rather she had no interest in doing so. Korra allowed herself a quick glance over her shoulder. The girl trailing behind her was looking down into her slightly raised hands, running her fingers over one another. Korra sighed. _She's clearly uncomfortable. I'm not being that awkward though, am I? _Korra stopped in her tracks and turned on the balls of her feet. She broke into a huge grin that even surprised herself. Asami looked up, a bit startled.

"Korra?"

"Asami, let's be friends. Okay?" She extended a hand.

Asami looked more confused than hesitant. Finally, she also extended a thin dainty hand.

The girls both smiled at each other. Korra slid to the right side of Asami. The raven haired girl with fair features gave a small nod of thanks, and then continued to walk down the underly ornate hall of Air Temple Island.

_One. Two. Three. Four. Ah ! Here we are, finally. _

Darkly paneled wooden shoji doors stood before the two girls. "This- Korra gestured openly-"Is your room". Korra slid open the doors to reveal a quaint room. It's only amenities were a bed, small desk, chair, and window. Asami peered into the doorway, then began to slowly walk in. Korra followed suit. "It isn't much, but-"

"It's perfect, Korra. Thank you for showing me the way".

"No problem" Korra blindly grinned. _Finally, some of this awkwardness is clearing._

Korra opened her eyes to see Asami looking down again. She had sat down on the bed now, trying to make herself comfortable. The wind blew through the open window, ruffling the raven haired girl's ever perfect locks. In the fading sunlight that shown through the window a hint of rose could be seen from her cheeks. Korra jumped as the girl stared straight into her eyes. "Korra, I-" There was a sharp knock at the door.

Korra turned around as Asami looked past her, staring straight into the doorway.

_Oh great, it's Mako._

"Aren't you supposed to be on the other side of the island with Meelo and Bolin?" Korra remarked, with a bit too much acid in her voice. Asami jumped up from the bed, shooting a fleeting glance at Korra before rushing to embrace her boyfriend."Hey, Asami" Mako muffled into the wool of his girlfriends silken hair. Korra sits down in Asami's spot and glances up at the two love bats. Mako then shoots a glance at the downed Avatar. Korra gulps and shrinks back at the malice within his stare_. If she only knew what type of monster she was dating. Then maybe all of them could end this charade that's gone on long enough. Unless _Korra's eyes open wider in realization.

_**Ehm**_

Mako clears his throat and Asami suddenly breaks their embrace. She looks up quiescently as Mako smiles at her and kisses her forehead, again shooting daggers at Korra. _Fine. I can take a hint._ She slowly get up from the wooden bedding, and heads toward the door. "Korra?" Asami faintly whispers. Korra stops to meet the embracing couple at eye level.

"I forgot that I promised Pema I'd help look over the airbending kids while she prepared dinner. Besides-"She looked from her innocent eyes to Mako's grimace- "I'm sure you two want some time alone". Mako looked as though he would like nothing better than to all out punch the Avatar.

"Yes, we could use some time alone" Asami said softly, as Korra realized she'd spent too much time holding Mako's gaze. Korra smiled and swiftly left the room, sliding the shoji panels back closed gently as she faced the couple one last time. Asami was staring up at Mako. Korra sighed and shut the doors all the way. Asami drew closer to Mako, resting her head over his shoulder. She looked at the closed door and slowly closed her eyes.

* * *

Korra had really enjoyed that dinner. Noodles were one of her favorite things, and Pema could almost make them water tribe style. Almost. They weren't as salty as Southern style, but Korra still appreciated the attempt. She rose from the table quickly and placed her bowl on the counter to later be washed. House work had never been her thing. Korra scanned the room one last time and bid her good nights to everyone before she headed out the room and down the stairs. Tenzin looked up from trying to feed Meelo to wave an irritated good bye. Korra laughed as she knew the irritation was not for her, Meelo was truly a handful. Meelo airbent the noodles in the bowl far above his head, making them dance as Ikki airbent her chopsticks after them-trying to 'eat' them. Jinora, the good child she was, was quietly reading a book. Chopsticks in the other hand, she unblinkingly waved good night to korra. She'd gotten quite good at that, Korra thought to herself. Korra's head turned to the left as she spotted Pema's pregnant belly hitting the side of Bolin's face as she served him seconds. Bolin, the polite boy he was turned a shade that even a tomato would be envious of. They both looked up and waved good night, as Korra again smiled and followed suit. To the right of them sat Mako and Asami, in slight seclusion. Asami, seated facing toward Mako turned back and gave a weak wave. She means well Korra thought as she suppressed an eye roll and waved back. Her eyes effortlessly moving toward Mako. His intent stare brought ice colder than anything she could bend. Her visible gasp causes Asami to quickly look up at Mako, to which his face reverts warmly as a wave accompanies a very false smile. _ Jackass_ Korra silently thought as she made her way out of the commotion of the dinning room and began her accent down the dark stair well.

* * *

Korra lay wide awake in bed. Her arms crossed neatly behind her head as she lay still on her back. **Thud. **Korra lazily turned her head to the right as her screen doors parted slowly with ease. A tall boy entered the shadow the moon cast in the doorway, only golden eyes visible.

"I know you missed me" he said smoothly as he shut the doors a little too loudly. Korra found herself jumping up.

"What's your problem? Do you want to wake everybody up?" The firebender with hair darker than an eclipse gave an arrogant laugh.

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" he said, moving closer toward her bed. "I know it turns you on" he rattled, as one smooth finger ran along Korra's throat. The moon illuminated a glint in Mako's smile as Korra's heart began to beat out of her chest. _Relax. Calm down. This reaction only gives him more power._ "Hhuh" Korra breaths in sharply as a fistful of her hair is pulled. She can hear his low laughs. She can imagine his smirk in the darkness. "Oh wait, I forgot you like it more at the roots" he remarks as he digs his hands deeper into her thick hair. Korra lets out a yelp louder than she intends, to which he responds to by pushing her onto the bed. "Mako" she begins to protest, as the Fire Bender smirks and begins to climb on top of her. "What…about…Asami..?" She begins to pant as he tongues the creases of her collar bone.

"_**You ask that every time**_. Why? You already know the answer" he mutters into her neck angrily. Korra can feel his body heating up, as it always does. Maybe it really was a Fire bender thing, since they always feel visibly warmer when…aroused. Korra can feel a warm hand slipping into her pants, and she begins to squirm as she lets out a scream. Mako smirks as he whispers in her ear

"Quiet, or you'll awake Bolin in the next room."

* * *

**Note: I guess this is my slight 'AU', or really what I think was going down behind the scenes and in between episodes. If Korra weren't on nick, I feel like it would be a lot darker and…sexual. This particular chapter takes place around episode 8, **_**When Extremes Meet**_**. I plan on skipping round a bit, but no so much that you can't follow the story ^6^ Next chapter we take a look at Mako and Korra's relationship, Korra and Bolin's relationship, And Tahno's 'Private Lessons'. This is my first time writing a fanfic lol so hopefully I'm doing it right. && Hope you enjoyed this chapter ! [=**


	2. Recollection

"_**Quiet, or you'll awake Bolin in the next room"**_ Mako breathed as he positioned Korra's legs between either side of his center. Korra stared up and watched as he slowly began stripping off her night pants. _I guess he really can't stand for any foreplay tonight. I can't believe he doesn't even care that Bolin is in the next room._ **Ziiip. **Korra looks forward and sees Mako has undone his zipper, releasing himself in the dark room. She instinctively reaches for it, massing what's within grasp. She lets out a breathy grin as Mako begins to shiver from the contact. He moans as he hunches over, ready to become one with her. "Wait" Korra breathes. He freezes for a moment, looking her in the eye with growing anticipation for her question. Korra really enjoys the attention, getting caught up in what she can make out to be his ever intense cinders. "D-Do you even care?" She begins, completely conscious of the space between them. Mako lets out a laugh that catches her completely off guard, sinking himself into her shoulders to speak.

"Y-yeah, of course I do ! I even brought protection this time, nicked it from Tenzin's room this morning. I thought it might be a little tight though, considering it seems were not the same size…" His voice trails off. Korra looks to her right, meeting his gaze, brushing her nose against his cheek. He leans in closer, kissing her. The warmth flows through her entire body. She feels herself pushing him closer with her bare legs, running them against the length of his torso. Mako smiles and readjusts himself further toward her.

"You've gotten used to me" he pants, his voice uneven from the motions. "Ba-barely" Korra manages to say, muffling her cries of pain into his shoulders. His eyes flick toward her as he begins to excel, completely letting go of his frustrations that day. **Ka-sunk. **_Fuck, not now Bolin. Go back to bed. _Korra averts her eyes toward the shoji screen door, trying to use her powers that be to sense the other side's occupant. **Ka-sunk, Ka-sunk, Ka-sunk. **Korra sighs. _No mistaking it, that's definitely pacing. Definitely Bolin. Why does he do this to himself? Doesn't he realize Mako's gonna notice one of these days?_

"Ahh-Mako" Korra's attention is back on the firebender, his skin tinged with red from all the motion."Mako" she exclaims more gently, Causing him to look down. "Can you be a little more gentle?" "Ah, sorry" He shyly says. The rhythms begin to slow down; Korra thinks he's trying to restrict himself a bit too much. _Maybe now I should ask him, since I don't like audiences anyways._

"Mako" she starts, pulling away from him. "Yes Korra" Mako says, eyes now closed from concentration. "Do you even care…that…Bolin…is" Mako stops the motions and looks up. "He's outside?" Panic rings through his voice. He begins to get up as Korra pulls him back down. "No, No" she lies, kissing him to calm him back down. Mako's hands are at work in the darkness, Korra guesses contemplating whether to continue their endeavor. Most likely he will, they hadn't been together for a while after all. She continues again.

"Do you even care that Bolin is going to be hurt if he ever finds out?" She looks up at him, searching for an answer. "No" he says immediately, going forward towards her. Korra gasps at the sudden motion and then regains composure, though struggling with what to say next. "Do you even care that _Asami_ is going to be hurt if she ever finds out?" Mako moves closer. "No…" he grunts. Korra shakes. "What if she already knows?" At this point Mako slams his hands hard into the wall behind them, causing an extremely loud **Bshht**. Korra can hear outside a **ka-sunk** in the distance._ Good, he's finally going back into his room. He should know that floorboard by my room constantly squeaks. He gives himself away. He cannot be both a boulder and a little sneak. It just doesn't work for him._

"Korra, _**is that what she was going to tell you earlier before I walked in**_?" Mako said angrily. Fire was calming out of his palms, leaving marks on the wall above. Korra vaguely wondered how she was going to explain that to Tenzin in the morning.

"No-I…I don't know. But why are you even with her? You're just using her for her money, just like your using me for my body !" Korra heard herself yelling. Mako was quiet for a long while before quietly asking if she was going to let him finish. Korra meet his eyes, wondering why he was still aroused through all this. Unless it was another Fire thing, being turned on by arguments and violence. "No. Not unless you tell me why you're with her still. We've been at this for weeks. Why are you with her if it's not just for the money or some fascination you have?"

"Korra, please-"

"No. Tell me"

"It's out of spite, okay !"

Mako pulled himself out of Korra and rolled to the edge of the bed in one swift motion. Korra sat up, pulling the covers over her as she faced him. "Spite?" she said, total and honest confusion in her voice.

"Yes, Avatar Korra, Spite. Or should I say, Uh-Vatar". Korra's eyes opened wide in horror as she lay back onto her side, pillow cushioning her guilt. Mako was already standing up, fully clothed again. He turned to look at her, a malicious smirk drawn across his face.

"Didn't think I knew, did you Korra? Didn't think I'd find out?" "Mako I-Wait, you were with Asami at the time. Why do you even care?" Korra exclaimed, now feeling the temperature in her own body rising.

"Why do I care?" Mako says coldly, walking toward her. He pushes her onto her back again, straddling her in one motion. He leans down close to her face. "I care, Korra" he begins, lowering his mouth to her ear.

"I care because I don't want anyone else _fucking_ my girl.

* * *

Korra just lay there motionless for a long while. She watched the moons shadow pass over the wall, inching across every hour or so. Or at least she guessed it was every hour or so. She turned over, facing away from the door. _He's not coming back. He's a coward_. _Who gives a fuck about Tahno anyways? His private lessons weren't that great._ She turned onto her back, staring at the ceiling. _At least, I didn't think they weren't_ She quietly tells herself, letting her moist eyelids close under their weight.

* * *

**Poor Korra, Mako's an angry jerk bender. I tried to clean up their er, 'meeting' scene as much as I could. The ecchi was necessary, and trust me I'm not writing one of **_**those **_**fics. Again could not clean it up any more without misconstruing the underlying message I'm trying to send about Mako. He seems to enjoy ignoring things at hand by pretending they don't exist. It was necessary to show a bit of just how complicated their relationship has now become. Mako gives Korra evil looks and generally treats her badly, yet stays with Asami. Also being the youthful young thing he is, he's very possessive of Korra. And he does not like Tahno or his private lessons. Will be explained in later chapters, for now lets all roll with the angsty firebender and sad Avatar. Much happier story next chapter, we'll be introduced to Bolin and his smooth lady killer lines [= Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed it !**


	3. Bolin

"_**You know, if you wanna know how a real pro bends…I could give you some private lessons"**_

It had been before her and Bolin's friend-date, when she had met the pale waterbender. Tahno, was his name. He was a member of the famed Wolfbats, although there reputation was preceded only by their 'team conquests'.

She'd snuck out one night right under The White Lotus's noses. Sometimes Korra wondered if they just _let _her sneak out so they'd have something to do later on. She reached the pro-bending arena with ease-Swimming had always been her strong suit. Breeching the building had also been a breeze, even if stealth wasn't something she was good at. Maybe the Avatar State had unceremoniously kicked it-Katara had always told her stories about how stealthy her past life Aang had been.

Korra crept through the empty rooms of the Arena building's upper half. She wasn't sure which floor the arena was on, just that it was far below her. _Weight room, storage closet, stairwell, weight room-wait is that the fire ferrets colored gear on the floor?_ Korra backtracked, entering the room that caught her eye. Red pro bending helmets and gloves were strewn across the floor, weights and barbells near its window. Korra edged into the room's center, now peering nervously over her shoulder. _Good, the coast is clear._

"I say good sir, my seats are in the winners circle. The best money can buy, Hiroshi Sato himself wouldn't turn them down." Korra raised her gaze as curiosity swept over her mind, erasing what she'd originally come into the room to do. She walked closer to the open window straight ahead of her and peered down. The city was so beautiful, so many lights everywhere. It was much different from the South Pole; there were so many people here. She scanned across the crowd lined by the entrance, eyes stopping when they found the source of the commotion. A finely dressed man in a purple robe with matching cap was yelling at a bouncer.

"Their fake, bub. We don't support those who buy from Shady Shin or the Triple Threat Triads" the large bouncer bellowed. He was definitely an earthbenderKorra thought to herself; those muscles were something all the males under the age of 35 seemed to possess.

"Listen here, _**mud slug**__, _either let me into the match or I shall report you" the well dressed man retorted matter-of-factly. At this point the large earthbender gave a chuckle and put one thick hand over his eyes. The well dressed man seemed uncomfortable and then crossed his arms as a sign of protest."Look-" the earthbender began, wiping what looked like tears from his eyes

"I'm not letting you in. Now go home and tell your wife and kids what a terrible night you had, wash your satomobile, abuse your workers in the factory you own-I don't care, just get outta my sight." The earthbender waved his hand, shooing the man away and inviting his next victim up. Purple robes didn't seem to want to give it up.

"You peasant, do you have any idea of your insolence? My spirits I tell you-" the man began to gesture unpleasantly at the bouncer to the crowd now peering ahead of the line staring at him "If this were back in the old days, you'd just be thrown in prison like the rest of your kind."

**Rurrht. Splashh. **Korra's jaw dropped in awe as the man in the fine purple robes was sent flying into the surrounding ocean by the earthbender. The wealthy man emerged from the gentle waters edge moments later, flailing about like a seal whose internal instinct was off.

"Why you scoundrel!" he shouted, gasping for air. The bouncer muttered something discernable under his breath and smiled as the next person stepped up to him for ticket inspection. He was a stout, well dressed man with a monocle and mustache. His face lit up warmly as a young woman stepped beside him, beaming even more radiantly than the man. The bouncer stood aside as they crossed without even asking any questions. Korra leaned over the windows edge, looking for something she had missed. _Clearly these two were also fire nation. That girls raven hair and pale skin could pass for even royal ancestry. Why'd he let them go? _Finding no answer, Korra straightened herself up. She scratched her head and wondered why they'd gotten a pass. _Guess dad was right, city folk are still a bit more sensitive about the war than us country folk._

"_**Ayy, what are you doing up here**_?"

Korra spun around to see an older man staring at her. His hair grayed and his clothing frayed. _Maybe he was a trainer? _"Uhhh-" Korra stuttered, trying to think of a good lie. "You kids are always sneaking in here, without paying. How are we supposed to make a living? C'mon you, I'm takin you to security. I'm sure Brock's in a wonderful mood tonight." The old man darted toward her, hand outstretched for apprehension.

"No, wait-"

"There you are! I been looking everywhere for you." A boy no taller than Korra strode into the room, eyes focused on her. "It's alright Toza, she's with me" he said, dark green eyes narrow with cunning. Korra went along with it, hell anything to be away from old creepy. She had no interest in meeting 'Brock'.

"Yeah, I'm with him."

"So you see, we're together"

"Well, not together together. More like friends"

"Right right, I didn't mean to imply"

"Oh, you implied it"

The old man turned away in disgust at this dialogue and muttered something about keeping his girls out of the training room.

"Thanks, you really saved me back there" Korra said, looking at the boy. He had dark green eyes, a slight tan to his skin and his hair waved at the edges. "No problem" he smiled widely. "Thank you for coming into my life" he said, looking dead into her eyes. Korra laughed at this attempt to court her. Dating had never appealed to her before, but she still enjoyed people's various approaches toward the effort.

"I'm Korra" she said, reaching a hand out. "Names Bolin, but you can call me Bo" the boy said, attempting to lean against thin air mid stride. Gravity must have caught up with him because he toppled over onto the cement floor, letting out a silent **ouch** along the way. Korra's eyes widened in concern as she ducked down, balancing on her knees to meet the boy at eye level. He sat up, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.

"That usually never happens" he started, cheeks flaring with faint shades of pink. Korra extended a hand as she rose back up to size. "There's a first time for everything" she said as the boy took her hand. "Besides-" he stood up "it would be boring if everything stayed the same, right?" she smiled. He met her eyes and smiled also. "C'mon, let me show you to the arena. I have a match in a few minutes. My brother's gonna kill me, but I couldn't deny a pretty water tribe lady" he said nonchalantly as he began to stroll down the hall toward the stairs. Korra laughed as the strange boy led the way.

* * *

She hadn't been that far off. Give or take five or six floors. Still not far off, not in her book at least. Korra had been speaking with the boy the whole time, nonstop. She learned that he had an older brother named Mako, he was apart of the Fire Ferrets, could bend earth, and enjoyed Water Tribe food (Although Korra was sure the last one was to win her over-no one outside of the poles liked their food.) Something about this boy-er, Bolin, made her feel at ease. There was this warmth coming from him that Korra really enjoyed. She had made her first real friend in Republic City. (And it only had taken a few weeks!). Tenzin and Pema don't count. Neither do the kids. So far Naga's been her only friend. She'd have to tell her all about this when she snuck back in later.

* * *

"And then Hasook threw the water at the guys face ! You shoulda seen it !"

Korra turned from Bolin to look forward for the first time in three floors. **Woahh. **Before Korra stood the grand arena. The crowd looked like a sea of dots that had been strewn on parchment when she dipped her brush in too much ink. The lights were brighter than the spotlights in the South Pole The White Lotus used on their guard towers. Roars came from the crowd in anticipation. Korra stared around as far as her peripheral allowed, even then she was tempted to spin around. She turned to see Bolin smiling at her expression, helmet now in hand.

"I gotta go, I'll introduce you to my brother later okay?" he said as he dashed over to the viewpoints edge. Korra turned around, now aware that there was an actual room before this glorious view. There was a boy with extremely long hair for someone their age rushing toward where Bolin now was. He seemed a bit moody. Maybe he was the 'Hasook' one Bolin spoke of. By the gear shelves stood a tall boy with raven hair and golden eyes. He faced her, staring at her with disinterest. Korra unconsciously took a step forward, warmly stretching out her hand.

"I'm Korra" she started, using this opportunity to look up at him a bit longer.

"Not interested" the boy unflinchingly states, putting on his head gear and proceeding to walking away. Korra stared after his back, wondering if she'd said something wrong.

"Aww c'mon Mako, be nice" Korra head Bolin shout in the distance.

"Whatever" Mako responded, pushing his brother forward and onto the platform to make the descent into the arena. Bolin shot one fleeting glance back at Korra before jumping on with his team mates, his eyes showing evidence of a smile. Korra stepped forward as they descended, leaning against the metal barrier protecting one from a fall into the arenas waters. She sighed as she looked into the bright lights and let the announcer's voice completely immerse her into her surroundings.

* * *

**This takes place around episode 2, **_**A Leaf in the Wind**_**. It's alotta fun writing for Bolin. I really enjoy him and Korra's friendship. Plus it's so much fun writing for him, the cheesiest things I could think of would sound amazing coming out of his mouth. I know I mentioned some Tahno x Korra interaction, but the story took another turn that was out of my control- So I'm just going with it. As for the bouncer-fire merchant thing…It's only been 70 years, and in Aang's time we seen some 'Nation hate' going on. This fire man happened to have a bit of a Fire superiority complex, imposing his feelings of exaggerated importance on the bouncer. In his arrogance he was sold some bad tickets, but believes the poor earth fellow, Brock, was just trying to be malicious. I named him Brock after the Poke'mon character xD. I don't know why but he just popped into my head and it struck me that he would totally be an earthbender. The man and daughter that stepped up after that err, "scenario" would be Mr. Sato himself with Asami in tow. Next chapter I'm going back to present, as this was sort of a flashback dream sequence excuse to bring some Bolin into a back story chapter. I'm also gonna try something I've been thinking about and switch perspectives from Korra to Bolin next chapter. Along with his narrations, it will involve some awkward morning after breakfast and menacing glares from Mako to Korra at the breakfast table. I love firebenders, I really do. But it's far too easy to make Mako so shady, given the show does it enough 10 X over. Ok I'm gonna stop talking now, this note is extremely long xD. Oh, one last thing. The Tahno quote/ his relationship with Korra will be explained in later chapters. I'm not sure when but I promise it will be. Thanks for all the great reviews && support [=**


	4. Ethereal

"Hey, that's no fair ! You can't hog all the grass! Daddy, tell Meelo to give me the grass!"

Korra slowly opened her eyes to the sound of the commotion outside of her window. The dawning sun cast shadows in a straight line toward her shoji doors. She watched it for a moment, as the events of last night swept into her mind. Korra sat up, scooting herself closer to the beds edge. She reached aimlessly for the animal skin boots she always wore, slipping her feet into them. She sighed as she started toward her window, in need of some cheering up.

* * *

**Shuffle Shuffle. Ka-saaah.**

Bolin lazily let his open eyes drift upward toward the wall behind him, realizing she was up. He allowed his hands to flop out beside him on the bed, stretching his arms as best as he could on the narrow bed. As a special request, Tenzin had allowed him to room away from the Boy's side of the island. He made up the excuse that it was too close to the islands edge, and that he was afraid of a freak accident drowning him in his sleep. Bolin made sure to tell Mako this, as he knew he would take care of it. Mako's always been able to take care of things. He also never questions the crazy things that he says, maybe it's just because he's always half listening. _If he knew why I really wanted to be on this side of the island, he'd be upset._

Bolin's body rose burdened as he quietly stepped toward his window. _At least I get to see her every morning. She's definitely hanging out her window, as she always does when they fight._ He reached the window and turned his head left, smiling as his brain registered with his eyes. There she was, her dark brown hair glowing at the edges as it caught the first rays of the morning. She was curled up into the window frame, something he never had even attempted out of the fear of falling. His smile had diminished some as he began to scan her profile. Her shoulders were sunken forward as one hand adjacent to the room cupped her raised knee. Bolin silently leaned closer toward the wood of his windows paneling, trying to close the distance between himself and the girl. His elbows rested on the ledge as peered over at her. The hand cupping her knee had gathered a ball of her pants fabric. He warily looked up at her face as tears began to flow from her puffy eyes. Bolin stepped backward out of the window, attempting to gather himself. He felt his feet unconsciously began to move into a rhythm he'd developed over the past weeks. Bolin's self-taught dance took him from one side of the room to the next, back and forth in a tiring repetition. He thought many things, many things that confused him. He wondered if he could keep forgiving his brother for hurting those around him. Their friends, Asami…and her. Suddenly his gentle hands balled into the tightest fist he could make, eyes adverted toward the open window. He looked beyond the island and out toward the oceans distance, scanning the horizon of the city. A cool breeze blew past him as he felt a liquid running through his hands. He looked down as he slowly opened one palm, blood gushing from indentations his nails left. He chuckled as he ran the other hand through his thick hair, bending a wave at one of the strands edges. "I guess I really am no match for him" he said quietly to himself as he moved away from the empty room and toward the sunlight.

"Korrrrraaaaa" he sang, mustering what willpower he had left to make his voice sound stronger. The girl on the ledge looked knowingly to the right of her and smiled.

* * *

He stood up straight, gently leaning back against the outside of her door. This was their morning ritual whenever Mako had made a visit to her the night before. After she cried Bolin would stand outside her door, ready to cheer her up. "Bolin" Korra called, voice muffled through the shoji screen that divided them. Bolin craned his head to listen to her request, saying nothing. "How much" she began, then hesitated and stopped. Bolin felt his face direct itself at the floor, waiting for her response. He could hear her laugh to herself as she quietly said "nothing", suddenly propping the shoji screen doors open with a huge grin. Bolin looked into the water tribe girls eyes, realizing her false façade. Korra's smile suddenly dampened, Bolin thought it was because she realized he could see through it all. He then outstretched one huge arm and pulled her close, hugging her tightly. Korra melted into his arms and after a long while Bolin proposed they go get something to eat. "Yeah" Korra replied quietly into his shoulder.

* * *

The room was as noisy as ever as Korra and Bolin made their way into it. Ikki was at the table in her usual spot, but this time sneaking dumplings off Meelo's plate when he wasn't looking. Jinora had started a new book, and had her eyes glued to it as she simultaneously plopped dumplings daintily into her mouth with her chop sticks. Tenzin looked up at the sound of their entrance and silently nodded to them both, clearly frustrated. Bolin kept his feet moving forward into the grand room until he reached his usual mat, which was the first closest to the door. He glanced back at Korra as her eyes had flickered toward Mako, who was in slight seclusion with Asami. Mako had caught her glance and shot a stern look back, causing the waterbender to recoil with visible pain. Bolin looked toward his brother's emotionless face and then down at the seat before him. He let his eyes close for half a second and then opened them again, facing the waterbender. Korra felt his gaze and jumped a bit, probably just realizing where she was again. He stretched out one chubby arm toward her center and smiled. "Let's sit together" he said gently, to which she silently agreed. Bolin sat down and out of the corner of his eye noticed Korra shot one last fleeting glance at Mako before she joined the earthbender on the ground. Pema swept toward them, her pregnant belly bumping into the side of Bolin's cheek. Korra let out a light hearted laugh beside him as he felt himself growing warm in the cheeks.

"I'm sorry dear" the kind woman said, ruffling his hair a bit before asking if he wanted extra rice with his dumplings. Bolin politely agreed and then suddenly found himself wondering if this is what having a mother was like. He instinctively glanced to his older brother for a sign of internal reassurance. Mako had always been good at reading him; sometimes he felt he developed the art of mind bending. He felt his shoulders sag as he traced his gaze back to Korra's. Mako seemed to become aware of this, as he suddenly sat up straight and smiled at him. **Clack. **Pema had sat his double rice and dumplings in front of him. She looked at the two brothers and then ruffled Bolin's hair again. It felt nice he thought, being cared for. Bolin began to attack his rice with fervor. _Stupid Mako. He already has Asami…Can't he leave me and Korra alone? Maybe it was a bad idea to sit her facing him. _He tilted his head up and leaned back as far as gravity allowed him to without toppling backward from the table. "You okay?" a soft voice from the left came winding into his ear. Bolin turned to see Korra's brows furrowed, worry written all over her face. Bolin felt a tinge of embarrassment as he realized that she had been watching him and Mako the entire time.

"Yup-everything's good. Everything's great, if I were any better I'd be flying with Iggy" Bolin replied smoothly, smirking and snapping his fingers. This may have been a bad idea though, as the chopsticks that were firmly in his hands were now strewn feet away from one another on the tatami mats- rice strewn along the way. "Bolin !" Korra began, laughter obscuring her next intended words. Bolin felt his cheeks grow warm again and then his heart beat out of his chest as Korra wrapped her arms around his shoulders. He looked around the room quickly, unsure where to focus his eyes. Tenzin was holding two fingers to his forehead, pinching it. Pema had noticed the spill and was now attempting to rise from a mat and hover over. Asami was still talking to Mako, completely unaware that he was staring over at Korra. Bolin looked down in disappointment_._

_Why couldn't Mako just leave her alone and be happy for him? He liked hugs. Hugs were a start. Maybe he could make her happy, happier than his brother was._

His shoulders sunk and he looked down at Korra, who after feeling the slight motion from his body looked up at him. Reading his face before he could change it, She shot a cross glance at Mako, sticking her tongue out. Mako looked shocked as he dropped his chopsticks in annoyance over the childish action. Both Bolin and Korra burst out into laughing at his face. Korra pulled herself closer to him. Bolin felt her breath in his ear as she whispered "You'll always be my favorite brother."

He looked into her eyes, feeling a mix of sadness and happiness welling inside of his chest. He felt his head move slightly from side to side as Korra ruffled his hair. He unconsciously smiled and then breaking away from the embrace angled himself back toward what rice he had left. Good thing I got doubles he thought to himself, as he began to shovel rice into his mouth. He felt Korra's gaze leave him and heard the gentle cling of her own chopsticks beside him. After a few moments of listening to Ikki and Meelo fight over an empty bowl, Bolin allowed himself a glance up at his brother. He followed his gaze yet again to see that his eyes were locked with Korra's. Bolin looked down quickly at his bowl, to avoid detection.

_Stupid Mako. Maybe he's not only a mind bender, but a feelings bender. Bending everyone feelings around him like it were water. _Bolin gripped another pile of rice and shoved it into his mouth, now sulking. As Korra's chopsticks beside him finally began to click again, he silently thought that Feeling bending should also be outlawed, along with bloodbending.

* * *

"Let's go out tonight !"

Bolin turned his head to see Asami standing in his door way, smiling boldly. Bolin waved his hand in protest, as he wanted to wallow in his dark room alone a little while longer. Asami-never the type of gal to take no for an answer, rushed toward him.

"What's wrong?" she asked, now standing over where his body rested on the bed. She reached a soft hand forward, gently caressing his face. Bolin sat up and pouted, as he began to pour out his heard to the girl. This was a regular thing for he and Asami, she was someone he could confide in without having to worry about sounding silly. She knew how much he cared for Korra.

"Well" the long haired girl said, flipping her hair and extending a slender hand toward him. Bolin looked at it for a moment, and then stood up. "We could all use a good night out on the town" Asami began, as Bolin began to sense something bad in her words to follow. Suddenly, her position changed. Either arm locked into her wrists, crossing them oddly.

"Why do you think Korra was so upset today?" She asked him, eyes sparkling with uncertainty and fear. Bolin immediately looked down, not wanting to lie to her. Also he knew that she would see through him, and he couldn't betray his brother-even if he had betrayed him.

"Oh you know, the usual things. Not being able to airbend yet, missing home, that pesky Amon and his Equalist trying to enslave benders by taking their livelihood away-"

"Bolin. Your voice just cracked."

"_Bison babies_" Bolin said under his breath, feeling himself growing hotter in the face as his body reacted. Asami strode toward the door, then stopped herself just before parting the screen doors. Back turned, she spoke to him.

"Is anyone going to tell me what's really going on?" she said in a hopeless whisper. Bolin's shoulders sank as he listened to her words. The guilt he felt burrowed a hole in his heard that even a badgermole could not feat. He strode toward her lightly, his feet below making barely a sound over the creaky wooden floorboards of his room. Left hand stretching toward her shoulder, he gently placed it there. Asami slightly turned her head to cut her eyes at him, dark curtain of hair falling back to making visible her swollen face.

"Don't cry Asami" Bolin said to her softly, bowing his head as the words came out.

"You know, don't you Bolin?" he heard her say through the tears now freely flowing from her eyes to the wooden floor beneath them. Bolin sighed, not sure how to answer. Yes, he knew his brother and the only girl he's ever loved were having sex behind everyone's back. Yes, he knew he was standing before one of his best friends-lying to her. Yes, he knew that Korra was crying about Mako at the cliff earlier, not Amon. Yes, he knew he was beginning to resent his brother…

Bolin shook his head once to steady himself. _These thoughts in my head are terrible. Mako's my brother, he's always protected me. Always done what needed to be done. Yes, that's right._

"I think…you should believe in Mako" he said in a very low voice. "Bolin" the girl started, vocals being overtaken my emotion. "It'll be okay Asami, its better off you don't know." He looked up and gave her a smile_. _

_I wish I didn't know._

* * *

_**So very sorry for the extremely late update. I've had some serious external factors threatening my family since this New Year has begun, but their slowing up a bit…So I'm able to write again ^^;;**_

_Ethereal:__ Extremely delicate and light in a way that seems too perfect for this world._

_**This chapter was written from Bolin's perspective. He loves his brother deeply but is beginning to feel some resentment toward their relationship because of Korra. Well, maybe not just because of her-It's more like it's been little things here and there and Korra creates the snowball effect. He's upset that yet again he's getting the short stick. After a very awkward breakfast Bolin realizes that he feels like a child, and Mako and Korra are the parents. He's getting friend zoned hardcore. Asami is the one person who doesn't treat him like this, but he can't tell her the truth. Then he'd be betraying his brother-whose always protected him. Mako always knows what's best for him, right? We're back in episode 8, "When Extremes Meet". I believe next chapter will remain in Bolin's perspective.**_

_**Also, side bar: I think Ikki and Meelo are the biggest trolls. I don't know why but I imagine they just mess with Tenzin all day through various antics and shenanigans.**_


	5. The New Team Avatar

The cool night air rushes past his ears. The rumble of the satomobiles engine vibrated throughout his body as Asami glided the car back and forth across the pavement. He was sitting in the back seat of her car, his brother directly in front of him-Korra at his side. The lights of the city flashed by him as he let his mind wander back to his conversation with Asami only hours earlier. Bolin thought that maybe he should tell her the truth, or at least give her a hint. He perched an elbow onto the outside of the cruiser, leaning into its alum siding. The snow on the passing streets had begun to melt, probably due to all the people walking by Bolin thought. After watching people go by for a few moments, he gazed straight ahead in front of him. Catching a glimpse of his brother's smile reflected into the small oval mirror parallel to the car, he tilted his head slightly toward the driver's direction. Asami lifted one hand from the steering wheel to angle her front mirror to take in Bolin, smiling into it. Her eyes then flickered to something unseen outside of the mirrors range and suddenly lit up.

"Who's up for some sweets?" She chirped gleefully, causing Korra and Bolin to both leap forward in excitement. Asami smiled and suddenly put both hands back on the wheel. Quickly looking down both sides of the street, she put all her force into turning the car to the left-the opposite lane in which they were now driving in. "Whoa" Bolin gasped as he was jostled into Korra by the sudden motion.

**Skreech **

The car slid on black ice as Asami attempted to go back into the lane they were previously in, making the shape of an elongated fishing hook.

"Are you allowed to do that?" Mako asked, slight stress tinging his voice.

"Sometimes we all do things we are not supposed to do, Mako" She said playfully with clear ice in the latter of the sentence. Mako looked at her in surprise as Korra tried to straighten herself up from the impact of Asami's driving.

* * *

"Here we are" Asami said with a huge smile, one arm pointing palm forward to the building in front of them. It was a grand building with elegant design. The windows illuminated gold from the street, and upon further inspection Bolin seen a sign. _Jintan's Panya _with a flag representing the four nations beside it.

"I've heard of this place" Korra said, stepping beside him. "Asami-" she turned her head back to the girl still by the car "It's great you brought us here and all, but we're broke." Asami let out an uncharacteristic snort and as she began forward toward the girl. "You didn't think daddy left me with nothing, did you?" she coolly stated, continuing past her and into the shop. Bolin watched as everyone timidly followed suit, and then he himself entered.

* * *

"This place is huuuuuge" Bolin's voice rang, gesturing his arms widely. He turned to the right toward his brother, whose face showed no emotion-thought Bolin knew otherwise. He leaned forward and nudged his brother in the ribcage with his elbow, causing him to double over and let out a huge grin. Mako grabbed the top of Bolin's head with one palm and began pushing down on it, causing a play fight to ensue. After a few moments Bolin was on the ground, holding his side from laughter. He opened his eyes to see Korra smiling to his left, his brother and Asami to his right.

"Come on" Asami said with a grin, tugging Mako's arm and walking toward the counter. Korra stared at the couple for a moment and then extended an arm to help Bolin up.

He grabbed Korra's hand and followed the couple toward the counter. Beside him Korra put one finger to her chin, probably trying to decide whether to take money from Asami or order. Suddenly a spark ignited in Bolin's memory and he quickly reached into the pocket of his trousers.

**Clink **

A quiet grin broke across his face as he grabbed a fistful of Yuans and pulled his hand back into view.

"Korra, order anything you like" he began confidently, opening his hand "I got this."

Korra looked down at the assortment of gold and silver coins in his palm. A tinge of adrenaline rushed through his veins as he puffed out his chest. _Good, she's smiling. I made her happy. Now just be smooth._

"How did you get so much money?" she asked, a clear amount of awe ringing in her voice. Bolin felt himself go red as he thought of the answer.

"Well" he paused, twirling on the balls of his heels to face the other direction in embarrassment. "Our last date kind of got ruined cause of Tahno, and I've seen you so sad lately…I wanted to take you out again one day." He lifted his arms in the air and closed his eyes as the pictures in his mind began to play.

"We'd start by going to the park. I heard Water Tribe members enjoy fishing a lot, and I know you must miss home." His shoulders sagged; his eyes flew open as he let his left palm and forehead meet.

"N-N-Not that I'm trying to depress you !" he recovered, as he closed his eyes once more and smiled. He lifted his arms out straight in front of him and outstretched his free palm, as if to hold back any bystanders from ruining this invisible dream.

"When nightfall hit, we'd go dancing. To a restaurant way fancier than _Kaung's_. You could wear a pretty dress, and-"

**Thud**

Bolin opened his eyes as the thud of something hard hit his chest. He looked down to see a sea of thick tangly hair on his right shoulder.

"Korra" he mouthed quietly, barely making sound audible for even her close ears. "Bolin" she said into his ear. His heart began to race as the emotion in her voice reached from his ears his heart-no-his very soul. He gently placed his free arm around her waist. He then wrapped it to align with the contours of her body, quietly thinking to himself that this is how it should be-how it always should have been. Korra grasped at his embrace, but then breathed what could have been a smile.

"Bolin" she began, clearly hesitating.

"Don't say anything Korra, I'll take care of you. I promise." He said quietly, surprised by his own words. A moment passed between them as they both said nothing. Finally, Korra spoke.

"I wish things were different" she said into his ear, lifting herself away from the embrace. Halfway up, Bolin felt a slight brush against his cheek. He looked up to see her backing away, a smile prevailing through watery blue eyes. Before Bolin could speak, in one swift movement she wiped her arm across sad eyes and leapt off to join the rest of the Krew at the ordering counter. He stood there for a moment, unsure what to do next. He turned around and looked at his brother, whose ember eyes were giving Korra disapproving looks. He then looked down as he simultaneously opened his palm. The assortment of coins seemed to glint dully in the reflection of his eyes. _I can at least pay for her. I promised her that…That I'd take care of her. And I will. I definitely will._ He willed his feet to move as he silently glided toward Korra.

* * *

Bolin sunk his teeth into his matcha bao, leaving huge indentations into what was left.

"Then Meelo jumped off the table and airbent himself a parachute" He nibbled feverously on his remaining bao, resembling a beavermunk as he sat at the table deep in thought. "Tenzin then screamed 'Get back here this instant!' as he rode an air scooter past him and out of an open window !" There was a roar of laughter all around him as Asami finished her joke. Bolin reached the last bit of his bun, choosing to plop the remainder into his mouth. He swallowed it in one gulp, barely chewing it. He then reached down toward his pocket, still feeling a bulge from all the remaining change. He slid his chair out backward and silently rose-intending to head back to the counter.

**Skriffft Plop**

Bolin looked down and watched as a balled up piece of paper ascended from his forehead toward the ground.

"Not cool, Bro" he said in frustration as he tried to storm off. A cool hand grabbed his wrist, pulling him back to the table.

"Asami, please. I just wanna enjoy some ame bao and amazing Jasmine tea." Her hand dropped as she turned to Mako, who was sitting directly across from his now frowning girlfriend.

"What's wrong, Bo? I'm just having a little fun" Mako started, beginning to rise from his seat. Korra rose from the seat next to him instead, laying a sharp punch to his gut.

"What's your problem?" Mako growled, now on his feet.

"Huh" Korra scoffed, crossing her arms. "You really wanna know?" her eyes locked dead with his. Mako's composure suddenly regained, he sat down and sipped his tea; ignoring the furious Avatar to the left of him. Bolin sent a panicked gaze at Asami. He could feel every bone in his body stiffen as he seen her eyes cut at the pair with a hatred he didn't know she was even capable of possessing. Mako continued to sip his green tea as Korra stared hard at him. She opened her mouth; finger pointed at his brothers head.

"You-"

"Uh-vatar please, air your dirty laundry at home-not in public" a smooth voice came from the far left of them. "Is that how they're raised in the South?"

A roar of snobbish laughter followed, growing closer to their table. Bolin jumped as Mako slammed his palms into the table, his face in concentration as he suppressed flames that wanted to incinerate its entirety. He stood up, striding over to the Wolf Bat next to his table. Tahno flicked a long hand through his perfect hair, stopping to bounce a curl in Mako's direction. Time seemed to stop as his brother leapt at him, grabbing his collar and looking dead into his eyes.

"My my, aren't you quite the hothead" the pale waterbender smirked. The group following Tahno had now surrounded their table, pulling up their sleeves. Bolin counted five, six, no seven benders with him. We might be badly outnumbered he thought to himself as he looked around him before turning his attention back at his brother and the Wolf Bat.

"You should know better than to mess with Tahno" he breathed at Mako, who after looking around out of the corner of his eye decided to let him go. He released Tahno's clothing as if it were something dirty. The waterbender stood back up straight, smoothing the wrinkles in his shirt out with precise fingers.

"What do you want?" Korra asked, more annoyed than curious.

"You mean I can't even enjoy a good bao in my city anymore?" Tahno questioned sarcastically, gesturing to their table with various degrees of eaten food.

"I think its best you leave" Asami said flatly, not even looking at him as she picked up her mugi cha and took a dainty sip from its straw.

Tahno then looked down at the sitting girl, clearly more amused now by this statement.

"Miss Sato, nice to see you !" he strode over to her and leaned forward "how's daddy these days?" Asami slammed her glass down hard on the table. Bolin looked around the bakery as people were now blatantly staring at the two groups. One older man in green had now taken to pulling his small child by the hand toward the door. I don't blame him Bolin thought._ I don't wanna be here right now either._

Tahno backed away from the dark haired girl, hands up in surrender. Some goon from his group laughed and shouted something discernable in Korra's direction. A grin broke across Tahno's face as he turned his attention to Korra. Bolin's heart sank as her eyes opened wide with what looked like fear. His fist clenched. Just as he was about to take a step forward, Asami grabbed his wrist again. He looked down at her and his rage surmised.

"You can't help her" she said gently, her face uncharacteristically grave. Bolin looked at her, sensing something dark within those words. He sighed and sat back down next to her, watching as Tahno moved closer to Korra.

"She has to save herself" she stated softly, brushing Bolin's hair. Bolin watched as his brother now marched toward the two Water Tribe members.

"We'll be alright" Bolin said to Asami, whose face had gone blank.

* * *

Tahno stood face to face with Korra. They stared at each other for a long moment until he chose to move. He extended a hand up to her face, twirling a thicket of stray hair around his finger. Korra flinched from the contact, trying to distance herself. Mako grabbed his hand, looking at him with a mixture of resentment and disgust.

"What are you doing?" he said through gritted teeth. Tahno now laughed, initiating an unspoken cue of laughter from his crew.

"What am _I _doing?" he said in astonishment, turning his gaze to Asami.

"My dear woman, are you really that clueless?" he said in an almost sincere tone. Mako leapt at him again, this time fire brandished in his right hand.

"Leave my girl alone"

"Which one?"

**Shurrrhhh Clasp!**

Mako was on the floor as Tahno had now stepped back from Korra. An elder man was standing between the two, face red with anger.

"Alright you two, I've had enough of this mess. Tahno, take your gang outside. Mako, follow his lead."

The shop keeper was a tall man, lean with graying black hair. He curled an end of his moustache in anticipation as the boys slowly took in what was going on. Mako was the first to move, bringing himself to his feet. Tahno looked at the shop keeper and then sneered, flipping his hand out in the air as his gang followed. The firebenders eyes followed him until he reached the edge his table.

"I'm not your bitch" Mako said curtly, remaining bao and tea in either hand.

"I know" Tahno responded slyly, going over to Korra and caressing another strand of her hair before moving out.

Bolin turned to look at Asami, whose face was in utter horror over reasons he couldn't completely understand. _She was so pale._ _Maybe she'd figured it out?_ After a mediated gaze toward Mako, the Wolf Bat and his crew left.

* * *

_**I originally intended for some sweet Tahnorra action, but somehow Tahno turned into Draco Malfoy. Hmm maybe not Malfoy, More like Jackson on Teen Wolf. Any who I broke Bolin's heart again this chapter…I'm on quite the roll aren't I? We're still in Episode 8 folks. I'm still using Bolin's perspective, and sadly I may be ending it halfway through the next chapter to begin Mako's. Really looking forward to the jail/Equalist hideout scenes, those should be a blast for our favorite 1920's jerkbender. Just a few notes: Asami made a U-turn in the beginning of the chapter. I wasn't sure what else to equate it with since they didn't have romanji characters in the series. I couldn't even think of some witty hybrid animal (for horseshoe)…But it's an improvement on what I originally had as Bolin's description of it (shape of a rainbow).Yuans are republic city's currency. I'm not sure if they are really silver and gold, but for the sake of the story they are. 'Jintan' is the name of providence in China and 'ya' is added to bakeries in Japan (and I believe Latin America also). Since Republic City is basically the center of integration in the Earth Kingdom, I thought it was fitting to also add a four nation's flag to its crest. Matcha is basically green tea powder that can be added to various foods for flavoring. Bao's (if I remember correctly from Mandarin 101) are usually in the names of round foods (ex: baozi). In the episode they were eating what looking like doughnuts, but since they most likely didn't have doughnuts in Asia…I'm guessing they were round buns filled with goodness. Ame means sweet in Japanese, and I think it's a flavor cross between melon pan and sweet bread (or at least in my head it is). Anyways- Bolin has subtly been rejected by Korra in the bakery. He earned the money while running off from pro bending practices early to go sit out in the towns square at night. Utilizing Pabu's tricks, he earned pity money from the crowds of passerby's-even earning double on weekends. Watching the couples made him want to give it his all to take Korra out. I'm not sure why, but in my headcanon he's left handed. I have to re-watch an episode to see if he really is…I believe Asami and Bolin have a really good friendship, so I tried to write bits and pieces of that. He tells her a lot, but not enough. The person who got between Mako and Tahno's fight was the shop keeper, Ren Na. He's a Republic City native, parents from Ba Sing Se though. He knows the boys name's because his older daughter is an avid pro bending watcher (and a huge fan of Tahno's). At the bakery Korra and Mako are on one side of the table facing the counter, and Asami and Bolin are on the other side-facing the windows/entrance. I'm not sure why Asami let them sit together…maybe to watch them? I'm still thinking in Bolin's perspective, so hopefully I'll be able to explain that later-or have it make more sense-if I write for her. I think she's beginning to notice things though, finally. Poor thing…Ummm, what else what else. Oh ! So to reiterate next chapter will be in Bolin's perspective until they hear the police scanner and head out in the car, then we'll enter Mako and Episode 9. Hopefully that will allow me to write more about Asami, she still seems so 2D compared to Korra and Bolin. Bah, anyways I hope you all enjoyed this ^^ More to come soon !**_


	6. Red Scarf of Fate

They exited the bakery sullen, neither person in the group speaking. Bolin watched as Korra offered Mako some of her uneaten bao's in an attempt to calm him down. Asami strode ahead of the group to her satomobile, turning her police scanner on.

"We could all use some background noise, right?" She said in a voice full of clearly false cheer. Bolin didn't have the heart to call her out on it; he really didn't care at the moment. He wanted to be as far away from this awful place as benderly possible. He walked over toward the mobile, positioning himself directly across Asami. After a few moments the Krew began talking and then laughing over something funny one of the police said via scanner. Korra and Mako moved toward the satomobile, now huddled toward each other talking about something privately.

**Tschhh**

"All available units, please respond to the 5600 block of dragon flat's borough. Equalist have taken to the streets. Consider them armed and dangerous-Proceed with caution."

"I call front" Bolin called cheerfully, hopping into the seat near Asami.

_I'm not sure I want to sit near Korra right now._

"After you" Mako said to Korra, helping her into the backseat.

"What a gentlemen, thanks" Korra said, voice as polite as ever.

Bolin watched out of the corner of his eye as Asami adjusted her mirror, frowning at what she saw.

* * *

"This is an equalist rally, there's nothing innocent about it" Tarrlock spat at Korra questioning his authority.

"Their not equalists, their just normal people who want their rights back" Asami spoke, trying to defend the hordes of people left out in cold night air.

"They are **the enemy**" Tarrlock argued, long finger pointing to the crowd.

"This will probably not end well" Bolin quietly murmured to himself as he watched the older councilmen send the police forward into the crowds.

* * *

"What do I think about Korra?"

Mako waited patiently as the words processed in his head. He opened his ornately gold eyes, staring straight past his brother.

_I think she's great!_

"I don't really have much to say about her."

"Hmphhh"

He leaned back against the cold wall, spine and metal meeting.

_Were in jail and he wants to talk about __**her**__ of all people? She's __**partly the reason**__ we're in this mess._

He let his head fall back toward the metal, bristling his hair against its surface.

"Mako?"

"Yes, Bolin?"

"D-do?" There was a slight hesitation before he continued. "Do-Er…Do you and Asami ever talk? The feeble voice blurted out.

_Talk? Yeah of course, what else was there to do? Her family, her father, racing….they were all very important things to her. She has enough to worry about. Enough to deal with without anything else surfacing._

"I'm not sure I know what you mean, Bo" he replied quietly.

There was a shift in the space between them. Mako leaned further against the wall, closing his eyes-drawing his now curled legs toward his chest.

_Not now, Bolin. You standing over me isn't going to change anything. It'll only hurt you in the end._

The young man opened his eyes to see bright green eyes staring back into his. He stifled an exhale.

"But aren't you worried about your relationship with Asami?"

_No. What's gotten into him?_

"Bolin, where is this all going?"

Mako opened his eyes and tilted his head down to meet his brothers gaze. Even with Bolin kneeling on the bed he still wasn't nearly as tall as him. Mako watched as his little brother shrank back, twisting his hands in anticipation.

_He's nervous. Why is he so nervous?_

Bolin sat back up, puffing out his chest. He tangled and untangled his hands for a moment, trying to find his voice. "I-I wanted" his voice cracked.

Mako felt his face grimace. He extended an arm toward his brother's shoulders, quickly pushing him closer toward him. Bolin looked up; face an odd mixture of relief and defeat. "You can tell me anything Bo, I'm always here for you. Always" Mako said softly, ruffling his hair.

"Promise you won't get mad?" Bolin said softly, unsure of his self.

"Promise" Mako repeated, smiling wholeheartedly at his brother. He could never get angry at Bolin. He was too innocent. Mako looked into his bright eyes for a moment, wishing they would never be as dark as his. He loosened his grip on his brother, allowing gravity to separate them a natural distance.

Bolin looked straight at his brother, his shoulders square. Mako quietly chuckled at the determination on his face.

"I noticed…that…you and Asami lately….have been…um…strained." He began cautiously, glancing up at him for what Mako believed to be approval. He shifted his weight to sit up straight, a subtle cue for him to continue his thoughts.

"I was wondering, maybe we should all do a group date together!" He said with strain in his voice. Mako vaguely wondered what the strain was from before answering.

The clank of another cell down the hall sounded. Footsteps could be heard coming down the hall toward their cell. _Maybe we'll be getting out of here soon. We have a cell by ourselves, but I'm not sure how much longer that will be. _

He glanced at his brother sitting helplessly in front of him, waiting for his answer.

_I don't think Bo's cut out for jail. He can't defend himself properly. I'm glad they kept us together, spirits forbid were separated. I don't know what I'd do. Damn Korra, always causing trouble wherever she goes._

"So, do you think it would be a good idea?"

"What?" Mako asked a bit too briskly, completely off guard.

"Me, Asami, Korra, and you going out on a date!"

"Me, Korra, Asami…Bolin what are you talking about?"

"The date! It'd be fun..." Bolin said quietly, crossing his arms. "Were you even listening?"

"Of course I was, of course" Mako remarked smoothly, slumping his posture a bit.

_Me and Korra? Wait, why does he want to __**try to date Korra again**__? Didn't he learn from last time? Dating a team member is a bad idea, especially her. I should remind him of that…_

"You're…going after Korra again? He said nonchalantly, pulling his feet back up toward his chest. "That didn't go very well last time, remember?"

Bolin shrunk back within himself again.

"Yeah I know" he said weakly.

"Huh?" Mako asked, not catching his words.

"Nothing" Bolin stated, some of the cheer coming back into his voice.

"I mean, the last time I tried, it only failed because we were in the tournament right? So technically, she's not a team mate anymore for the time being!" he said in excitement, with a grin on his face.

_Hmmph._

"Bolin, what's really going on between you two? Is she trying to-"

_Use you to get to me? No, I don't think she would do something like that._

"You always think the worst of her" Bolin said quietly.

_What?_

"What do you mean?" Mako began, adding the right bit of uncertainty into his voice.

"You know what I mean !" Bolin shouted, mouthing something indiscernible after his outburst.

_Where is all of this coming from? Does he really want her that bad? I mean, yes she's good looking-most Water Tribe girls are. And she's the Avatar, one of the most powerful benders in existence right now. But she's also annoying, pushy, aggressive, challenging, domineering…_

"I'm not sure what you mean Bo. But" he pushed off against the wall and edged himself to the bed "there are_** plenty**_ of nice girls in the city. You really like that Water Tribe noodle shop right? There's always cute girls over there" he said shortly. Mako then rose to his feet and walked to the edge of their cell, peering through the metal that divided them from the outside world. "It'd be great if you were a metalbender Bo, we'd be out of here in no time" he said jokingly, not turning around. "Maybe I should ask Lin to give you some lessons. You could be a great metalbender! We could both be on the force!" he gave a chuckle, deciding to turn around. "I could finally be leg-Bo!"

Mako turned around to see his brother Bolin hunched over facing his direction, quietly sobbing on the bed.

"What's wrong?" Mako asked, concern masking his face. He strode over halfway toward him and then stopped as Bolin put a hand up. His palms toward Mako, he sniffed loudly before talking.

"Don't come over here, Mako" he said a little too loudly, then dropped his hand back down to rest it on his knee.

"Bo…"

_Was it something I said? No, no. can't be._

Mako stood in the middle of the metal cage for a moment, wondering what to do next. He decided to turn his attention again to the bars on the door, angling his body to peer down the corridors and trying to seek the main hall.

_I don't know what to do. Was all of this really because of…Korra?_

* * *

**Smooch Smooch**

A large man from a cell diagonal to theirs had caught his eye and was blowing kisses at him. Mako's fury got the best of him as his body began to heat up rapidly. He felt tingles in his right arm coming down from his shoulders to his fingers. His palm felt like it was on fire. It was a strange sensation, Mako thought to himself. Firebending was a destructive element, but it was also the most comforting. He allowed the sensation to over take him, letting the tingling sensation gather in his fingertips. As it finally concentrated into his pointer and index fingers, Mako rose his arm and struck the man's cell with lightening. A sneer fleeted over his face as the dark halls were ablaze with blinding white lights.

There was a moan and a loud thud as smoochy fell over.

"Hua dao! Hua dao! Wake up man!" a voice came echoing through the cells. Laughter began to bounce off the various cell walls, ringing in Mako's ears.

"Don't touch him, or you might get electrocuted too" Mako heard himself sing.

"Hey we'll get you for this, you ash bending jerk!" the voice threatened.

_Some insults these criminals have. Shall I retort? _

Mako grinned as he lifted his head to meet the green eyed criminal's gaze and then felt himself go cold.

"Shit, Bolin" he said under his breath as he tried to steady himself to turn around. He quietly spun on his heels.

_Nice and easy._

A wave of relief washed over him as he scanned over his sleeping brother's body. Bolin had curled up near the wall Mako had been leaning against earlier. He watched as his back slightly ascended and descended with breath. A weary smile covered the lower half of his face as he again leaned toward the metal bars. He washed two now warm palms across his face, reaching them over his head and toward his shoulders for a big stretch.

"I see you Fire bender" said the voice again.

"Fuck off"

**Ffftt. Bop Bop Bop Bop.**

Mako stood back from the bars, not wanting to cause attention to whomever was wondering down the corridors. He stopped his breath as the footsteps stopped near his cell, body stiffening.

_This can't be about that flower guy. After all, this is jail. I had to defend myself._

His cell door slid open.

"Asami!"

* * *

_**Guys, I have no explanation for the late update. I have poor time management and sometimes I get lost on the path of life. Terribly sorry. Any who ~ this chapter starting in jail forward is told in Mako's perspective. He and Bolin talk a bit without really talking, and Mako electrocutes some guy who's trying to hit on him in anger over Korra. He also never says what he really means. Good stuff, good stuff. Hua Dao, if my Chinese pinyin is correct, can translate to flower knife (or dagger). Hua = flower, Dao= knife, dagger, or sharp (I believe). You can only imagine why I named a large incarcerated male hitting on Mako flower knife, right? ^^ Ahh, so this scene is ending when Asami and Lin come to break them out. Will try to get out of episode 8 next chapter. Thanks for reading, and tune in for the next one [=**_


	7. Poison

"Asami!"

Mako called out, stepping forward to embrace his girlfriend's open arms. She fell into him, his body completely holding all of her weight. Her lips met his, glinting his with playful aggression. He spun her in his arms, eyes closed; savoring the feeling. It'd been so long since she kissed him like this, not since they arrived to the island.

_Or was that Korra?_

Mako flinched as she suddenly broke the embrace, pulling her body back a reasonable distance to fully cup his face with gloved hands.

_Can she read my mind?_

Shivers ran down is spine as one glove began caressing the side of his face, resting right by his ear now. Mako thought for a moment whether or not to take the gloves off of her hands, suddenly longing for the warmth of her skin more than ever. He looked down into the eyes that were searching his soul.

"Are you alright?" he asked, suddenly aware of his environment.

"I'm fine" she said, giggling a bit at the question. "It's so good to see you"

Mako felt himself growing red in the cheeks. Asami's voice had always had a strange calming effect on him, even now with all that was going on. Mako parted his lips to reply, when suddenly Chief Bei Fong cut him off.

"Hate to break up your lover's reunion, but Korra's in trouble. Amon captured her."

Mako heard his girlfriend gasp beside him as what The Chief said slowly registered in his mind.

_No. How could she get…caught? She's the Avatar for spirits sake! She shouldn't make such stupid mistakes! I don't…_

"No" he said looking down, not meeting the chief's eyes. "No, she can't be gone"

"Come on" the chief said, grief and uncertainty stricken in her voice.

"We have an Avatar to rescue"

Mako rushed forward after her, leaving the cell and his girlfriend behind him.

* * *

"Do you have any leads?" Mako asked the older airbender, voice cracking with stress. His eyes followed Tenzin as he got up from his small desk and strode around toward the group, arms gestured widely; looking completely frazzled.

"I've been on the phone all morning, but…nothing yet"

_Why isn't anyone doing anything? He's on the council; can't he get the police force to cooperate or something? _

"We need Naga, she can track Korra"

_Yes, Naga's her very best friend. She could find her. Someone has to find her. I can't lose her too…_

Tenzin bowed his head after hearing these words, as if to expel even more despair upon him.

"I'm afraid her polar bear dog is missing as well"

"Then where do we start?" Bolin asked inquisitively, causing Mako to turn and notice his brother's presence.

"My guess is the Equalist are hiding underground, in the maze of tunnels beneath the city" The Chief chimed, standing tall with hands on either side of her hips.

**Scoff**

Mako turned toward Asami, surprised at her reaction. She was standing further away from the group, arms crossed as she stared at the wooden floor beneath them.

_What's gotten into her? She's acting like Bo was a few hours ago._

"Underground" she began, stretching the word out longer than necessary.

"Just like my father's secret factory. Figures."

The room settled into a stifled silence. Mako was silently trying to decide whether or not to reach out to her. He pivoted his right foot ever so slightly, angling his body closer toward her. Tenzin cleared his throat, stroking the thicket of fine dark hairs on his chin. He decided to make a move toward Asami, shuffling his outward foot toward her. Mako then suddenly stopped, gaze on his little brother. He watched as Bolin stepped toward Asami, placing a hand on her shoulder and smiling.

"Yeah, yeah that makes sense" the boy in green said in a throaty but energized voice. He brought an arm up to his chin, allowing a hand to overtake it before dropping it down. "When those chi blockers had me in their truck, it sounded like we drove into a tunnel-"

_A tunnel…? Wait, a tunnel! I know where that place is! It's where I met that jerk not too long ago…_

"I know where to start looking! Come on" Mako said to the group before running ahead and out toward the main grounds.

* * *

"It's down this alley" Mako said, pointing to a narrow road paved with snow. He descended toward the enclave of run down buildings, listening for the feet of the others behind him. In the distance he spotted an open window to one of the apartments on his left. While running past he looked up to see a woman in its frame. She was a beautiful younger woman whose gaze was peering off toward the distance. He turned his head for a moment to fit the line of her sight, curiosity taking over.

_Oh. You could probably see Yue Bay from this part of town._

The sound of a babies cry could then be heard and the woman quickly hurried out of sight. Mako watched as her raven hair caught the last rays of the sun, then floated away. He turned his attention back toward the road ahead, running even faster.

The end of the street broke into a sort of a fork. There were three paths that could be taken, but suddenly Mako didn't remember the way. He slowed his running to a complete stop, standing at the intersection.

"Which way?" Asami's called to him, voice out of breath.

Mako's mind wandered for a moment at the sound of it before quickly regaining composure and gave a sullen shrug.

"Hmmm this way kind of…smells familiar" Bolin remarked as he smelled the air.

_Ugh I don't need his antics right now!_

Mako turned toward the path to his left, jumping a bit as Asami assembled her self next to him.

"Don't worry, we'll find her" she said, turning to him and smiling.

_I hope so. I don't know what I'll do without her._

"Y-yeah" he stuttered, with more uncertainty than needed in his voice. Asami moved closer to him, grabbing his arm. Mako watched as she linked their arms, resting her head on his left shoulder.

_Why do I feel so…uncomfortable?_

Mako buried his nose deep into his scarf, inhaling the fibers along with the chilly city air. His heart skipped a beat as the weight on his shoulder lifted. Mako looked down at Asami and-

**Crackk Zerp**

"There's a tunnel near by, let's go"

Asami slowly backed away from her boyfriend as he outstretched a hand. Mako turned to watch as she took three backward steps facing him, and then turned to catch up with The Chief.

_Shit._

* * *

_It's so dark in here._

**Flruuushh**

Mako brought some illumination into the dismal cavern that stood before them. He looked around at the many entrances that branched off to spaces unknown.

_Another fork. Great. This is exactly what I need right now._

He turned his head to the left. Mako caught the faintest glimmer of light within the abyssal darkness of the tunnel.

"Let's try this way" he said with confidence, beginning to stride forward.

An arm locked hard around his, forcing him to look back toward Asami.

"And what if Korra's _**not**_ down there?

He felt his throat grow hot.

_This is no time for stupid questions, they had to find Korra. That was the group's top priority._

"Then we pick another tunnel until we find her" he heard himself yell, temper getting the best of him.

He continued to move forward into the darkness of the tunnels, fire in his palm leading the way.

_Maybe that was a bit too much. _He stopped in his tracks. _I should probably apologize._

Mako turned his head slightly, looking for his girlfriend's position. The flame in his hand flared up suddenly as Mako's heart skipped a beat. Bolin was walking with Asami, smiling slyly.

"Get a hold of yourself, son" a commanding voice coming from his side ordered.

"What Lin means, Mako, is that we'll find her" Tenzin said with an exuberant sigh.

Mako looked to both of them quickly, embarrassment welling up inside. He gave one stern nod as the two made their way past him. He gave one fleeting look at his brother and girlfriend before looking forward.

_What's gotten into both of them?_

* * *

"I'll ask you one more time, where is she?" Mako snarled, drawing fire into one palm-Equalist hoisted in another.

"We don't have the Avatar" the unmasked man protested "and the Equalist didn't attack city hall"

"You're lying!" Mako shouted, bringing the fire closer toward the mans throat.

"T-Tarrlok's lying! We haven't done anything" the man said, gasping for breath.

"Mako stop it, your hurting him!"

"Asami stay out of this!"

There was silence in the room as Mako stared into the mans dark brown eyes. He looked like he was in is mid thirties.

_Little too old to be an Equalist. I'll fix that._

Mako pushed the fire even closer, heat beginning to singe one of the hairs of his stout mustache.

"I'm telling you, we don't have her" the man protested, tears now forming in his eyes.

Mako released him, and with a loud thump the Equalist dropped to the ground.

Footsteps echoed in the hollow cavern. Mako looked to an entrance as The Chief and her men arrived.

"I scanned the entire prison. Korra's not here" she said briskly, a frown forming around the edges of her lips.

"Why would Tarrlok make up a story about getting attacked?" Mako asked Lin, furious.

"Of course! Why hadn't I seen it before?" Tenzin said loudly, making eye contact with the entire group. "That Tarrlok, he has Korra! He fooled us all!"

* * *

"Don't make this worse for yourself, tell us where you have Korra"

Tenzin and Lin changed their stances, ready to fire at Tarrlok. Mako gathered flames into his palm, watching the old bloodbender with calculated eyes. There was a sudden change in his posture. Lin and Tenzin fired, only to have their limbs twisted beyond recognition. Tarrlok caught Mako's eyes. He suddenly felt himself being forced down to the ground, his limbs violently thrusting about. He didn't even have the strength to look him in the eye one last time. Everything was beginning to go black. He felt his head spinning; he was so dizzy. It felt better when he closed his eyes.

"Korra"

* * *

_**Mako is left unconscious from Tarrlok's bloodbending. He's had a pretty rough day, destroyed by his constant worrying of Korra- Torn about his obligation toward Asami. While unconscious, he begins to have a strange dream-or a flashback rather. Of Tahno. On to chapter 8?**_


	8. Encounter

_**It's so cold out**_

He pulled his scarf up past his nose, heating the upper half of his face.

_I can't believe there's so many people out tonight, it's freezing._

Mako quickened his stride past the crowds of people, making eye contact with a few every now and then. He reached the end of the street and after looking both ways, crossed it.

_Finally._

The bright lights of Central City Station lit the area for what looked like miles. Mako made his way toward the retired Fire Lords statue, feeling warmer as he got closer to its eternal burning flame.

_Hard to believe these kids really stopped the war._

He peered around, scanning the groups of people around the area. There was a couple walking toward the steps of the station entrance, bickering the whole way up. A little girl in green clothing was running in circles after a flying lemur. Mako looked around her, wondering where her parents were. He then spotted a couple running toward her, both their arms outstretched. The woman in blue robes scooped her up, holding her close while muttering something out of reach. The man in green robes moved closer to the two, patting the little girls head. Mako watched as they turned away from him and made their way out of the plaza.

"Lookin for me?"

Mako turned around to see a young boy with scruffy hair standing behind him.

"Skoochy! Just the man I was looking for" Mako said, walking toward him.

The boy pulled his oversized cap down over his face lower, frowning.

"Shhhh! Trying to blow my cover?" he said in a serious tone.

Mako couldn't help but give a chuckle. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry"

"Yeah yeah" the boy said, crossing his arms. "What brings you here today, Mako?"

Mako straightened up, remembering why he was there. "I need work"

"Hmmm" the boy said, walking toward the statue's base and leaning against it.

Mako waited patiently for his answer. When one never came, he spoke.

"Hmm? What's that supposed to mean?" he asked in a mocking tone.

"Well" Skoochy drawled "Aren't you dating that rich Sato girl now?"

"How'd you-"

"I hear everything in this city, Mako" he gestured dramatically to his ears.

"Nothing escapes these babies"

_He's good._

"I can't ask her for money" Mako said with a heavy sigh.

"Yeah, that would be pretty bad right after she sponsored your team"

Mako's eyes flicked toward him, and then up at the statues flame.

Skoochy giggled. "I hear the Red Monsoons are looking for a new runner. Their last boy got-er-what's the word?" he scratched his head for a moment, bringing a small hand to his chin. "Oh, Equalized! Yeah, the last one got Equalized!" He said in a cheery voice, clearly proud of his ability to remember details.

"Sounds promising" Mako said sarcastically.

Skoochy threw up his hands, now grinning. "Hey I don't make the information, I just sell it. Speaking of which-" he held out his hand.

Mako tried to suppress a laugh. "I'm not paying you for common knowledge, Skoochy" he said, trying to make his tone as serious as possible. He turned to walk away.

"Sheesh, your worse than when that wolfbat jerk came to me asking about information on the Avatar"

Mako froze. _Why was he asking about Korra?_

"What did you say?" Mako asked, channeling the right amount of aloofness in his voice.

Skoochy broke into a huge grin, outstretching his hand.

_This kid's good._

Mako fished into his pockets, producing a crumpled five yuan note to hand to the boy.

Skoochy tugged the note between his hands, testing its authenticity. Mako rolled his eyes.

The boy peered closer, cutting his eyes sideways before speaking.

"I hear the Red Monsoons are paying triple"

"Skoochy!"

The orphan boy held his sides now from loud laughter. "I'm just messing with you, Mako" he said, nudging him in the ribs before continuing.

"I hear Tahno's been taken with her since he spotted her in the arena"

"_What_?"

Skoochy's expression changed. With knitted brows, he stared up at Mako-taking him in.

"You're dating that Sato girl. And your brother _really_ likes that Avatar girl" he said in a slow voice. "Don't tell me-"

Mako cut him off before he could finish.

"No-No" he said in a firm voice. "I'm just looking out for my little brother"

"Uh huh" Skoochy said, uncrossing his arms and clearing his throat.

"So?" Mako began, wanting to hear the rest of the information he paid for.

The small boy knitted his brows again, looking down for a long moment. He then outstretched a hand again, much to Mako's dismay.

_I'm gonna go broke at this rate._

Mako instinctively reached into the pockets of his worn trousers, fishing out another five yuan note. Skoochy shook his head.

"Uh uh. Double"

"What? Why?"

Skoochy walked closer to Mako, measuring just below his chest.

"This is prime information, Mako. Everything in this city comes at a price" he stepped back, looking up "you should know that"

"I think you're a little too young to be giving me life lessons, Skoochy" Mako said, patting his head before reaching for another yuan note.

He took the note, quickly slipping it between the hidden inner pockets of his tattered vest.

"I hear he and his crew caught her in an empty room at the arena. The same day she met Bo"

Mako looked down for a moment, lost in thought.

_I knew she was up to something with him! That was around the first time we…_

"Skoochy, I need to meet with him. Could you send the word out?" Mako asked, reaching for another note in his pocket.

The boy shook a now uplifted hand, arms of his oversized jacket shaking along with the motions.

"It's on the house. In exchange, just tell Bolin to come back and play with us soon. We miss him" the boy said sadly.

Mako looked around to see the rest of the orphans behind Skoochy, each staring at him in awe.

He smiled. "Alright, I'll be sure to tell him"

Mako turned from the boy and began walking back into the cold city air of the streets. He was halfway out of the plaza when he heard a booming voice call out something behind him.

"Ay, you should really think about that job! Triple wouldn't be so bad!"

Mako smiled so widely his scarf threatened to fall down. He stopped in his tracks, raising one arm in acknowledgement before beginning the journey back to the Sato mansion.

_This crazy kid. Wish I was this smart at his age._

* * *

"Between Piandao Road and White Lotus Lane. White Lotus Lane, White Lotus Lane. Oh!"

Mako spun around, looking for the street sign he'd missed. The sky was white, casting an eerie light on the run down buildings he passed. He walked a little further down the street, wondering why it was deserted. To his left he heard an apartment door open. He turned just as a beautiful woman with dark raven hair emerged from its entrance. She locked eyes with him and bowed her head, blushing. Mako buried his face into his scarf, scratching his head in embarrassment. He kept walking until he reached the end of the road, looking back to see the silhouette of the woman being swallowed by the city.

"About time you showed up, pretty boy. I thought I might catch a cold" a sarcastic voice sang to him.

Mako turned to see a pale boy with thick curly hair perched against the side of a building, staring at him.

"Tahno"

* * *

"So, what brings you to see me my boy? If it's to confess your love, save it-I have far too many applications from the ladies in the mail" he said, gesturing openly around him.

Mako watched as a woman walking past their table covered her mouth, snickering at this remark. The younger girl latched onto her arm met his eyes, smiling shyly.

"Why the hell did you pick this place?" Mako blurted out, a mixture of annoyance and curiosity in his voice.

"Well" Tahno said, placing an oversized cloth napkin in his lap "Can't have my fans seeing me with such rift raff, can I?"

Mako sat back, crossing his arms and scoffing.

_Smart ass._ Mako looked around, taking his surroundings in.

_Well, I have to admit, he has style. It's a pretty nice place._

It was a small restaurant he'd only heard of one, on the far end of town toward Yue Bay. The name was _Xin Fu's comfort food. _Apparently it was started by some washed up underground tournament promoter many years ago, and now after his passing his children had taken it over.

"Would you like to order?"

Mako turned to see a pretty waitress clad in an all green qipao, hair neatly pulled to a high bun.

"Ummm-I"

"I'll have a plate of SquidOx balls, with a side order of fried rice-hold the soy. Hmmm, do you people sell lychee juice?"

The waitress turned her attention to Tahno, smiling politely.

"Yes sir, we do. Would you like some?"

Yes please. And also whatever this yahoo sitting across from me would like"

The waitress and Tahno simultaneously turned their gaze to Mako, making him jump a bit in his seat.

"Uhh-"

Mako scanned the menu.

_Fish ball dumplings simmered in rhinoboar sauce- 5.19 Yuan_

_SquidOx balls in a thick sea prune stew. (Side order of rice available at request)- 8.95 Yuan_

_Platypus bear egg easy over roasted pork. (Side order of soba noodles available at request)- 8.14 Yuan_

_Smoked sea slug with a sprinkling of fire flakes. (Side order of Komodo sausage available at request)- 4.59 Yuan_

"Smoked sea slug. Smoked sea slug" Mako said quickly, buckling under the pressure.

"An excellent choice sir" the waitress said with a polite smile. "Would you like anything to drink? Or perhaps a side order of Komodo sausage?"

Mako thought for a moment. He truly wanted some lychee juice, but refused to order the same beverage as Tahno.

"Just some rose petal tea, please" Mako said, handing the menu to the woman.

"Boy, you're a cheap date" Tahno said to Mako, whisking his own also toward the woman.

"So," Mako said, choosing to ignore the waterbenders snide comment "I hear you met Korra"

Tahno dramatically placed two hands neatly over his heart, looking up with a longing sigh.

"Our eyes met across the crowded dining hall of _Narook's Seaweed Noodlery._ Naturally, I reacted to my primal manly instincts and mosied on over to her" he said in a theatrical voice. Mako wondered if he'd ever considered auditioning for the Ember Island Players.

"I even offered her some of my famous _**private lessons**_" he said with a self satisfied grin across his face. He stayed like that for a moment until Mako interrupted his fantasy.

"But then?" he asked, already knowing the answer to this story.

"But then-" Tahno dramatically draped a pale hand over his forehead, smothering his huge trademark curl. "She turned me down and called her great white beast on me" Tahno finished, flicking his curl.

Mako burst in laughter. No matter how many times he heard that story, it always left him with a smile on is face.

"It's a polar dog bear, by the way" Mako told him matter of factly, settling down.

"It's a great white beast" Tahno retorted in the same tone.

"Here you are, sir" the voice of the waitress said, coming from their right. She reached a tanned arm slightly over Mako's shoulder, a steaming bowl of smoked sea slug now in front of him. She then glided forward to Tahno, assembling the platters of food he ordered neatly in front of him.

"Would there be anything else for you gentlemen today?"

"Just some dessert later, my dear" Tahno said to the waitress, smiling at her. She quickly bowed and walked away toward the back area of the restaurant, her face a beautiful shade of apricot.

Mako looked down at his plate, remembering why he was there.

"Tahno, I-"

"Relax, scarf boy. We'll talk after our meal." Tahno said in a calming voice.

Mako again stared down at his plate, reaching for his pockets. Tahno shot a pitying look at him before speaking.

"Don't worry about the tab, I'll handle it"

Mako looked up in surprise.

"Why-?"

"I'm a champion probender. I have some salary to spare" Tahno said nonchalantly, casting his hand into the air before beginning to eat.

* * *

_**I love the idea of Mako and Tahno forming a friendship. Aren't they great? Just some quick notes: First off, thank you all so much for the wonderful && encouraging reviews! I smile like an idiot each time I read them [= Now onto the story- This is taking place somewhere between episode 7 and 8. Mako and Bolin are still living at the Sato residence, and the bakery fight hadn't happened yet. He's also unconscious, remembering this through a dream. After visiting Skoochy for some work (the plant wasn't paying enough) he hears something about Tahno and Korra. He's baited, because he had always had his suspicions. After all, he had her first…right?**_


	9. Tahno

The meal had been great. Mako enjoyed a round of fire gummies for dessert, opposite of Tahno's mango fruit tart. The two did not speak much during the meal. Occasionally though, fangirls would stop and squeal at Tahno. Always the flashy fellow, he struck a pose- making one poor girl faint. Mako lost count of the number of times he rolled his eyes. After dessert Tahno kept his promise and paid for the meal. The two left and walked down the road toward a large open area in what seemed like an abandoned part of town.

"Where are we?" Mako asked, walking alongside Tahno.

"You'll see. I want to show you something" Tahno said in a dismissive voice, quickening his stride.

The boys walked a little ways down the cold streets. Mako counted as they passed five blocks, then made three left turns.

"I thought you didn't like the cold?" Mako said mockingly.

"This is important" Tahno said quietly, prompting Mako to look straight.

There was a huge tunnel, metal bars encasing its opening. Either side was sloped with concrete, resembling a river bank.

"What is this place" Mako asked slowly.

"Equalist compound" Tahno replied flatly.

"What?" Mako said, turning to the expressionless waterbender. "Why would you show me this?"

"For Korra" he replied again flatly, turning to face the firebender.

"You came here to talk about her, no?"

"How did you-?"

"Skoochy"

_Drat! Damn that Skoochy, I forgot to mention discretion. _

"Don't be mad at the kid" Tahno said, reading his expression.

"He didn't say a word out of line"

_Wait._

"So then how-"

"Did I know?"

Tahno walked away from him, stepping into the shadow of a nearby building.

"C'mon Mako, you think you're the only one with an informant?" he remarked in a casual but sarcastic tone.

Mako walked toward him into the shadows, arms crossed.

"What do you know?" he asked coldly.

Tahno threw his hands up in a fit of unexpected laughter, clapping them together dramatically.

"Whoa now, no need to get your bending up in a bunch" he said, looking into his eyes.

"I do know your sleeping with her. You have been for some time"

Mako quickly looked down, burrowing his nose deep into his scarf.

_Should I even bother to protest? If he already knows…_

"So what if I am?" Mako asked, pulling his nose from the warmth of his scarf and squaring his shoulders.

"Tisk tisk" Tahno said, shaking his head and moving a slender finger from side to side.

"You, my friend-are already with the stunning Sato girl"

"We're not friends" Mako said quickly, throat starting to burn.

"Don't change the subject" Tahno said even quicker, narrowing his eyes at him.

"What did you come here to ask me?"

Mako looked down for a moment, trying to steady himself. He thought for a moment on how to phrase his question, not wanting to sound desperate.

"It's starting to snow you silly boy, I don't have all day" Tahno said in a dry tone.

"Are you also-"he started, waiting for Tahno to finish his sentence.

"Sleeping with her? Spirits no" Tahno said in a voice of disgust.

"We're all not like you"

"But you'd love to be" Mako said, hints of malice seeping into his now horse voice.

"You would love to fuck her, you and your crew"

Tahno brought one hand to his forehead, smoothly fitting it under his perfect curl. He shook his head back and forth, laughing.

"What's so funny?" Mako asked, feeling his body heat in anger.

"You know, your not as stoic as you think you are" Tahno said, walking closer to him.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Tahno leaned closer to Mako. Removing his hand from his head, he spoke in a tone Mako never heard before.

"I see right through you"

Taken aback, Mako leaned away; looking down at his shoes.

_What the hell is his problem? 'I see right through you'. No, I see right through you!_

"No comeback, hothead?" Tahno said in a voice colder than his usual sarcasm. He stepped back, still eying the firebender.

"And, for the record, I would sleep with her-not fuck her. I doubt she's that type of girl. Also" Tahno said, looking into his blazing ember eyes "if you really wanted her, you should have told her. Instead of following her around the first day she came to the arena"

Mako's heart dropped. He tried to gain control over his shaking body, wanting nothing better to singe all of Tahno's pretty hair off his head.

_How-Wait, what?_

"H-how do you know about that?" Mako said, voice now shaking.

"What, you think you're the only one with an interest in her?" Tahno spat in annoyance.

He crossed his arms before he spoke again, looking away toward the Equalist compound.

"One of my boys seen you sneak into the room we cornered her in after the match. He came and got me and luckily I arrived just for the show" he remarked, bitterness in his voice.

"So you-er….you stayed the whole time?" Mako asked, slightly embarrassed.

"No, I'm not into that sort of stuff. You're really something though" Tahno said, shaking his head. "Seducing the girl on what, her first night in the city?"

"It was her first week, actually" Mako corrected.

Tahno gave a laugh, shaking his head again.

"You're too much" he said softly, composing himself.

Mako shrugged, feeling a strange sense of relief. He looked up toward the sky, which was now casting delicate flakes of snow around them. He glanced at Tahno, who was now also looking up.

"Let's finish this up, shall we? I can't be sick for my upcoming match"

"Agreed" Mako said swiftly, crossing his arms and looking toward him.

"So to reiterate, you have not slept with Korra"

"Right"

"But you would like to"

"Correct"

"She still hates you"

"Would you also like to know what I ate for breakfast this morning?" Tahno said in a sarcastic voice.

"No" Mako said, giving a weak chuckle.

"Now let me ask you something, Mako" Tahno said, also crossing his arms.

"Did you want Korra before or after you found out I did?"

* * *

Tahno gazed lazily out of the large glass windows of _Jintan's Panya_.

"So yeah, then I told her sweetie _I don't bend that way_, but I know you do"

There was a roar of laughter around him as he daintily sipped his lychee juice.

_Idiots. I'm surrounded by idiots._

He let his thoughts wander, day dreaming about hitting Chi Mau with the napkin in his lap and running off far away toward the bay.

"Tahno, Tahno, did you hear that dame is missing? I think that Amon nabbed her"

"What dame, Li?" Tahno said, trying his best to sound enthusiastic.

"That Avatar Korra chick"

Tahno chocked on his drink, sniffing loudly before patting his lips and looking up.

"It's true; it was on the radio all afternoon. Where have you been?"

Tahno looked down for a moment, flipping his curl before responding.

"And?" he let the word play to its last syllable before beginning to get up from his seat "why should I care?"

"C'mon Tahno, you can't fool us" said a cute girl with very red lipstick. Tahno looked at her for a moment, then shrugged his shoulders in defeat.

_I have no clue who she is. It's becoming a curse, being wanted by so many._

"Tahno settles for no girl" he said casually, leaving money on the table before moving out.

He strode along toward the entrance, waving at fangirls as he passed. One had stopped in his path, a shorted girl in fancy blue robes.

"Umm, Mr. Tahno?" she said in a shy voice, twisting her hands together.

"Yes, child?" he said, wondering why she was acting like he was an old man.

"C-c-c-"she stuttered, going red in the face. "C-c-could"

_Spirits woman, don't go that red in the face. You look as though your about to explode._

"She wants a hug" a cool voice coming from behind said. "As do I"

Tahno meet the speakers gaze. A taller woman, about the same age as him. She had tanned skin, cascading dark brown waves framing her face.

_Water tribe. Definitely from the South though, she's too upfront not to be._

Tahno raised an eyebrow, smirking.

"Oh, is that so?" he said, voice slicker than ice.

The woman broke eye contact with him, ushering for the younger girl to come forward.

Tahno reached an arm out, beckoning her forward. The girl flew into his arms, tightly hugging him. Smiling, she let go and backed away toward the older woman.

"Your sister?" Tahno asked.

"Yep" she replied, smiling. "Now for my hug"

Tahno turned to the woman, resting his hands just above her hips.

"My, what a hugger you are" she said in a surprised tone.

"Darling, you have no idea" Tahno said, moving even closer to the woman.

"Ayy, isn't that the Avatar's polar bear dog?"

Tahno stroked the girls' cheek before breaking their embrace. He turned around to see what Chi Mau was talking about. There, on the opposite side of the street was Korra's great white beast. It was sniffing something on the street, knees almost buckling from fatigue. Tahno walked back over to his table, taking some of Li and Park Sun's food.

"Hey" Park Sun shouted in protest as Tahno grabbed the last two fish dumplings off his plate.

"I'll pay you back- both of you" Tahno said quickly, grabbing slices of dried seaweed from Li.

Tahno reached for his discarded napkin, neatly transferring the food with chopsticks into it. He then gently wrapped it into a bundle, knotting it lightly so that its contents would not fall out. Tahno strode back toward the door, patting the now confused sibling duo on their heads before exiting the shop. Looking both ways before crossing, he strode across the street toward the great white beast. Tahno watched in annoyance as one child thought it was a brilliant idea to try and straddle it. Naga barked, taking steps to run away.

"Not a good idea, kid" Tahno said, catching the boy off guard.

"Aww, what do you know!" the kid replied, reaching up to tug the animals ears.

"What do I know?" Tahno said, even more annoyed now by the defiance he was dealing with.

_The things I do for love._

"I know, that this beast right here" he continued, patting Naga on the back "Is a terrifying wild beast from the South Pole"

Naga looked at him, clearly understanding that he had just called her a terrifying wild beast. Tahno cut his eyes at her, wondering if she understood this subtle cue to play along.

On prompt, Naga then stood on hind legs, giving a terrible rawr. The child fell down backward on his bottom before screaming and running away.

"Good beast" Tahno said, trying to pet Naga as she turned her head in protest. Tahno sighed, adjusting his hair before turning toward the bakery windows.

_Of course their all staring. _

"Come on beast, I've brought you food" Tahno remarked shortly before turning his back on his crowd.

Naga sniffed the bag, open mouth displaying a long pink tongue coming between her teeth in delight. Tahno reached for the side strap of her saddle, tugging her along toward the closest alley.

"Did you know Korra was missing?"

**Snort Bshawwp**

"I'll take that as a yes" Tahno said curtly, ashamed that he had resorted to talking to strange beast in dark alleyways.

"I'll take you back to my place so that you can rest and eat something. Then you're on your own, creature"

Naga's tail began to wag as she licked the side of Tahno's face.

He wiped his face with his sleeve, feeling slightly dirty.

"The things I do for love, Uh-Vatar"

* * *

_**I really like Tahno. Mako's currently unconscious, and the first half of this chapter was a continuation of his 'dream'. We switch to present time (episode 9), where Tahno stumbles upon Naga while enjoying a day out with the boys. This chapter Tahno, the amazing detective he is, realizes that Mako: 1. Has a severe inferiority complex toward him 2. Is cheating on his girlfriend with Korra 3. Does not like animals, period. Shall we move on toward Asami?**_


	10. White lies for Ms Sato

**Awhuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuh**

"That sounds like Naga!"

Tenzin quickly shifted the reins over Iggy, steering the flying bison in the howl's direction. Asami grabbed hold of the saddles side, trying to steady herself from toppling over into Bolin.

"Down there!" Mako said anxiously, pointing toward the outline of a white polar bear dog. Asami looked at him for a moment, wondering where the determination in his face had come from. _Yes, he had been acting strange for some time- _but she refused to believe he was choosing Korra over here. _They were together. If he liked Korra, he would at least have the decency to inform her, right? _

Iggy landed with a loud thump onto the ground. Tenzin quickly jumped off, the rest of the group followed.

"Korra" Tenzin shouted, making his way toward the polar bear dog.

Korra lay unconscious on her back, scrapes and fresh cuts along various parts of her body. Her hair was matted, mixings of twigs and mud tangling it over her face.

"Korra!" Tenzin shouted again, moving closer to her.

Korra's eyes slowly opened as she picked her self up midway, giving a weak smile as she peered over at them.

"Oh, thank goodness" Tenzin remarked with a relieving sigh.

"Where's Tarrlok? How did you get away?" Lin shot off, stepping in line with Tenzin.

"Give her some space!" Mako yelled, parting the two with a shove.

Asami watched as he cupped her into his arms, whispering while he carried her to Iggy.

* * *

Mako sat at Korra's beside, grabbing her hand as she slept. Asami stood within the doorway for a moment, eyeing the steaming hot soup in her arms before deciding to turn around and walk back toward the kitchen. _Mako seems to want to take care of her. Let him bring her soup._ She signed, stopping mid stride within the stairwell that lead back upstairs. _No_ she thought to herself, shaking her head slightly with internal protest. _It's not Korra's fault that Mako is being horrible to me. _Asami began to slowly turn around, the soup gushing slightly over the bowls rim. _Right. _She smiled slightly, as her heart began to pound against her ribcage with slight anxiety. _Korra is my friend_. Asami started down the now dimly lit corridor again, towards Korra.

* * *

She arrived again at the shoji doors, which were now closed. She cleared her throat lightly before sliding open one door with her right hand, soup still held firmly in her left. There was a slight rustle from the room within as Asami parted its shield. She stared into the room half heartedly, only to see Mako and Korra arms length apart in distance on the bed.

"Asami!" Mako said, voice ringing with a little too much surprise. He sat up straight, quickly distancing himself from Korra.

Asami looked down for a moment, wondering what to make of the situation_. _

"_I think…you should believe in Mako"_ Her voice choked her for a moment as Bolin's words came rushing back into her mind. _Yes, he's right. I should trust my boyfriend and best friend. _Asami looked up at both of them, smiling widely as she gestured toward the soup in her hand.

* * *

"That soup was delicious, Asami. You've got to give Pema my sincerest thanks when you go upstairs again!" Korra said sleepily.

She was lying on the bed flat, the empty soup bowl back into Asami's hands-who was sitting upright facing Korra.

Asami watched her as she drifted in and out of sleep, clearly bruised very badly in patches along her body. _It's in bad taste, but this may be my chance…_

"Korra?" Asami said gently, not wanting to startle her out of the blissful state she was in.

"Y-yeah, Asami?" she replied, a little caught off guard.

"Mako" she began, looking down and tracing a pattern in Korra's quilt with her finger.

"Is he…going to be around anytime soon?"

"No, of course not" Korra replied, a little too quickly for comfort.

Asami cut her eyes at her, before realizing herself and softening back up. Korra, who seemingly noticed this through her drowsiness, continued where she left off.

"I mean, he's a guy. Guy's are on the other side of the island, right? Well, except for Bolin-but he's an extreme case" she grinned a bit while slowly easing herself up to a sitting position. Now facing Asami at eye level, she beamed at her.

"He's only been around because he's been worried about me" she said before putting her head down to hide her eyes away from sight.

_Oh?_

"Mako's great like that, isn't he?" Asami said quickly, feeling her face getting warm.

"I mean its swell you too are such great friends, isn't it?"

"Asami-" Korra said softly, raising a hand and then dropping it halfway.

"D-don't. Don't cry, Asami. He's not worth it" Korra said softly, unsure of what to do.

_He's not worth it? How would she know his worth?_

Asami leaned away from Korra on the bed, now crossing her arms and throwing one long leg over the other-as if closing off her entire body to what the battered waterbending girl was saying to her.

"Korra" Asami said firmly, voice stark now with what she believed to be anger.

"What have you and Mako been up to?"

"Asami!"

"Korra" Asami repeated, this time so roughly Korra shrank back behind her.

It was silent for a long time. Upstairs footsteps could be heard. Probably Pema and the kids preparing tonight's dinner, Asami thought to herself. She looked around the room, waiting for Avatar Korra's answer. Just as she had resorted to counting the floorboards from the entrance to where the bed they were seated on lie, Korra made her move. Asami looked straight ahead, listening as the weight behind her shifted to meet the wall behind with a small hollow **Thud**. Asami slowly spun around to sit across from Korra, who was now facing her head on. She watched with dread as Korra's face tensed up, defining any lines and wrinkles she had on her youthful face. Korra closed her eyes and breathed in slowly, steadying herself before opening her eyes again. Asami wanted to remark that if she applied herself that hard with the same concentration she uses for the Avatar state, she'd have mastered it already. _No, that's a bit too harsh. Not to mention highly inappropriate._ Asami diverted her full attention to Korra, who was now glistening lightly around the edges of her forehead.

"Asami" she said breathlessly, her voice shaky. Asami looked down, focusing in on the quilt beneath them. She would look up when she told her the truth, for now this was an excuse to not look her in the eyes.

"I-er-I mean we…uh…ummm" Asami looked up, her curiosity getting the best of her. Korra's entire face was beat the deepest shade of red she'd ever seen it, even when laughing. The sweat from her forehead has glued all the stray hairs to her face, making them seem unnatural in some odd way she could not properly put her finger on. Asami placed a hand at her side on the bed, then looking back up at Korra incredulously when she felt vibrations circulating through it. _If she's shaking this much…at this rate she may pass out from her own exhaustion._ Asami sighed, not really wanting to let this go. But-

"Korra?" Asami said, not pausing to wait for an answer.

"We can talk about this later, when you're in better shape" she said, before getting up and quickly walking toward the door. With one hand on the screen, she stopped in the doorway. A moment later she grasped the screens ledge hard, deciding to not look back and walked out of the room-leaving the darkness from the hallway to overtake the helpless Avatar.

* * *

Asami opened her eyes to the sound of a ship passing the island. Its loud horns signaling those surrounding of its arrival. She sat up, peering out over the window and toward the steamy lights of Republic City. _Nighttime. _Asami rolled over the side of her cot, shivering slightly when her bare feet hit the cold floor. She strode over to the window, the source of the now cold air within her room. Closing it, she looked down at her damp feet. _It must have been raining._ Asami went back over to her bed, sitting down slowly on its edge. She stared down at her damp feet, running them over each other with the slickness of the water. She sighed deeply. Korra had picked this room for her when she first arrived to the island. It was the very last room on the first floor, a few feet from the stairwell. The airbending kids as well as Tenzin and Pema had rooms right near hers, while Bolin and Korra roomed two floors down. It has always perplexed her at why her room was so far away from theirs. At first, she thought maybe it was because Korra just didn't like her. Although now when she thinks about it, it was one of the nicest rooms aside from the family's. Yes, it was still small and er- 'quaint', but it had a lot of character. Asami had even taken to sneaking off one day to go to her mansion. There wasn't much left amenities wise, as much had been sold off to lenders and bill collectors after her father had sullied their family name-thus draining their income along with it. She'd managed to collect a few choice books from the library, something to read when everyone was busy on their adventures or "missions" as they'd like to so lovingly refer to them as. Her hands glided along the edges of her makeshift book case, dropping a finger down to caress the textures of its inhabitants many spines. Asami plucked one up and brushed a hand over it's worn cover, reading it's text through watery eyes

_Hiroshi Sato: How I made my first million_

Asami felt herself stifle a sigh as she opened the book, her chest suddenly all too heavy for her body.

_Chapter 1: The Mechanics of a Million_

_Growing up my parents left me nothing to inherit. I was a 'Street Rat', walking aimlessly in life. Until one day, I had a dream-No-a vision of an empire. And at my side, my lovely wife and daughter would rule it with me. Until tragedy struck when-_

Asami slammed the book closed, not wanting to read any further. It was suddenly all too cold in her room. She felt a shiver run up her spine, goose bumps forming along the flawless skin of her arms. She closed her eyes and reached for the first three books that fit into her hand. Asami marched over to her bed, plopping down on its edge and smoothing her bottom across it until she reached its middle. She opened her eyes, curious of what her blind grab produced.

_Bending techniques anyone could master_ _**by Sifu Kwan Ha Na**_

_How to train your Platypus Bear in 29 days_ _**by Earth King Kuei**_

_What happened to FireLord Zuko's mother- Avatar Aang's recount_ _**by Transcribers of The Order of the White Lotus (With special prologue from Princess Azula)**_

_Hmmm, Korra might like this_ Asami thought as she plucked up the book to examine it closer. She flicked through its pages, witnessing a myriad of colors flash before her eyes. The book stopped on a page one of her fingernails had caught. It was an illustration of an ancient waterbending form with text written to its adjacent side.

_**Bending form official name:**_ _The Octopus_

_**Skill level:**_ _Intermediate ranging to advanced control_

_**Synopsis: **__The bender steadies their respective rate of breathing in order to become in synch with the surrounding waters. When ready, one simply raises the water around them to enclose oneself into a circle, creating 8 'tentacles' for defenses against enemies._

_**Special restrictions: **__Traps the bender, making a speedy change of location quite difficult._

_**Benefits: **__Successfully exercised, can target and eliminate a group of unforeseen enemies. _

_Also can be utilized by turning tentacles into icy peaks- further rendering the enemy threat impotent._

Asami smiled as she closed the book, ready to rise from her bed.

"This will definitely help Korra out. Especially when those Equalist try to jump her again"

She slipped into her zori and headed for the door. Asami took one last glance at the damp room before entering the hallway, wondering if Korra was still awake at this late hour.

* * *

_**Note: Sorry for the late update, I'm a terrible person I know. Anyways this chapter along with the next one will be told in Asami's perspective. We get to take a look at her life at the temple. She's a bit of a loner, and Bolin is one of her best friends...**_


	11. One's reality

Asami walked through the dark halls of the temples lower floor, letting the fingers of her right hand brush against the walls.

_It was so dark down here. How do they see anything at night? _

She glided along the wooden floors, looking ahead toward the dark abyss.

**Shuffle Shuffle. Ka-saaah**

Asami felt her breath suck in. Her body tensed up. She froze for a moment, feeling her body go cold as darkness surrounded her.

_Is there someone in the temple? Equalist?_

Asami stood up tall, clenching her free hand into a fist. She decided to continue toward Korra's room, now wishing she had her Equalist glove with her.

**Shuffle Shuffle. Ka-saaah**

_Where is that coming from? Wait, is it-_

"Bolin?" Asami said softly, now in front of the boy's room. She raised one hand to the shoji screen, then dropped it back to her side. She stood there for a long time, listening for a sign of confirmation.

"Hahaha"

Asami's heart dropped as she snapped her head up, eyes opening wide. Her feet seemed to move on their own as she slowly made her way to Korra's room, her hands beginning to tremble. Behind her she heard a faint "Ferret tails" and then a click from the parting of shoji screens.

_Hmph, so he was up? No matter, I-_

"C'mon Mako, not tonight"

"Why not? It'll only take a second, I promise"

Asami's hands began to tremble as she listened to the muffled voices coming from beyond her. She moved to the left side of the hall and peered at Korra's room from a diagonal angle, fearing detection if she ventured any closer.

"Asami!"

A quiet voice called to her in with clear anxiety. Startled, Asami jumped-causing the book to slide through her now clammy palm and hit the wooden floor with a hollow but preserved dense **thud**.

"What was _**that**_?" Mako exclaimed, with more malice Asami had ever heard in his voice. Even when they were searching for Korra, his voice didn't sound as…terrifying as it did just now.

"Uh-oh" the gentle voice now in her ear said, locking a chubby hand around her upper arm and pulling her away just as Korra spoke.

"Wha-Mako, come lay back down! It was probably nothing"

"Probably nothing?" his voice breathed, the tone now rising in annoyance.

"What if it's Bolin? Or even worse, Tenzin?!"

"Why would Tenzin be all the way down here?"

"Who knows?"

There was a slight pause as Asami was dragged into Bolin's room.

"Actually you're right, it wouldn't be him. He probably knows anyways. No, no. Maybe it's The White Lotus? They've had to have noticed I've been sneaking out by now" his voice trailed off.

Asami strained her ears to hear the next bit, closing her eyes trying to relax. Finally she heard a muffled laugh, from presumably Korra.

"I don't think they'd notice, believe me"

"You think I'm not good enough to sneak out?"

"No, no" she chucked again "I just don't think they'd notice. All the times I've snuck out-"

"To go to pro bending tournaments, yes I know"

Asami's heart dropped as she listened to Mako, now laughing at his paranoia. Asami looked up in the darkness, searching for Bolin's face. She made out his figure in the darkness, and then her heart broke as she saw a smile.

"Bolin, I-"

"Wait, first" Bolin said, voice full of confidence "Did you grab the book?"

"Oh shoot!"

Asami felt the tension in the small room increase. She felt Bolin's eyes on her in the darkness. Both of them stood there, listening for a verbal cue of when it would be safe to venture back into the hallway to retrieve it.

"Mako-"

Korra's muffled voice played whimsically through the air. Asami felt herself growing sick. Her head felt dizzy. She looked at the wall to the left of them, seeing only white lights in front of her eyes.

"Bolin" she said softly, her hands now finding either side of his face.

"How long…Bolin. How long?"

She felt the bend of her fingers as his head bowed, a burst of warm air across her arms.

"Weeks. Maybe" the boy said weakly.

Asami could hear in his voice that he was about to cry. Not knowing what to do, she cradled him. His hands felt their way to her shoulders, locking them together in this intimate embrace. Asami pulled back after a few moments, kissing his forehead before making her way over to his bed. She sat down, motioning him forward with one hand in the darkness. Bolin's figure strode over, the floorboards creaking softly as he came over to join her.

He sat down facing her, raising one chubby hand to place on her shoulder.

"Asami, I'm so sorry" he said quietly, choking on the last word.

She sighed, placing both hands in her lap and looking at the boy in what she thought were his eyes.

"It's not your fault for what _they_ decided to do. I know you were just trying to protect me"

The weight shifted between them. Bolin was now on the floor in front of her, on his knees.

"Asami, it's not entirely Korra's fault. She's tried to tell you multiple times, but" his voice trailed off.

"He stops her?"

In the darkness Bolin nodded once.

"Can you also see me better?" Asami suddenly asked, changing the subject to the task at hand.

"Huh? Yeah-We're like badger moles" Bolin said jokingly, giving a weak laugh.

Asami couldn't help but laugh. She rubbed his head, the thick waves of his hair locking her fingers together.

"So" she began, moving her head forward to flip her hair back "How are we going to get this book?"

* * *

They had devised a plan. Bolin would fake going to the bathroom while loudly slamming his doors upon leaving his room, startling Mako. This would give Asami a window of time to grab the book, sling it under Bolin's bed covers, and slip out of the room via his open window. Asami was a little apprehensive about the last part, but the drop to the ground outside wasn't as far as she'd imagined-and also it would keep her hidden from Mako or Korra if they somehow came to investigate the noises.

"Alright, let's go!" Bolin said, his smile gleaming like stars in the nighttime sky.

* * *

_**Whistle~**_

Asami pressed her index finger and thumb to her forehead, pinching them until they met. _Why is he whistling? That's so unnecessary! We didn't agree on this!_ Bolin was in the hallway, walking past Korra's room toward the restroom at its end. Asami pressed one ear against the wall behind her, listening for movement on the other side. Hearing nothing, she slowly slid the doors open to a length which she could just barely squeeze through. Asami stepped out into the hallway, casting one long leg forward toward the ground. **Clack.** A sudden tenseness rushed through her shoulders, her body locking in fear. _Had they heard me?_ Just as she started to backtrack, Bolin's voice could be heard down the hallway.

"Man, am I tired" he said through a yawn. His outline could be seen in the doorway of the bathroom now, stretching towards the low doorframe. _Now's my chance!_

Asami slipped her feet out of the zori, carefully planting her feet back on the cold floor. She arched her ankles, walking over to the blurry square on the ground with the balls of her feet.

"Wow, I am beat. Guess I'll just head back to my room now. You know, to go to sleep. Since it's nighttime. Maybe even early morning. When the roostercrows sing"

"Bolin!" Asami said in a hushed voice, beckoning to him.

The boy let out another huge yawn while passing Korra's room. Asami passed through the doorway backwards, clutching her zori in her free hand. She made her way back over to Bolin's bed, placing the book down beside her.

"This book has caused more trouble than it's worth" she said quietly, the breath of an almost chuckle escaping her lips.

**Fssssht. Clop.**

"Why did you have it, anyway?" Bolin asked, now walking over to join her on the bed.

"Well" Asami began, clasping her hands together tightly "I brought it for Korra"

"Hmmmm" Bolin remarked, picking the book up and holding it to his face.

"I cannot make out one word of this book. Is it all pictures?" Bolin said, his voice rising on the last sentence.

Asami laughed before grabbing it back.

"Of course you can't, silly. We're in the dark"

In the darkness Bolin raised an arm to the back of his head, hand rubbing his neck in embarrassment.

They sat there together on the bed, neither saying another word. Asami didn't even feel the need to cry anymore, somehow she felt _immune _to it. Maybe she was dreaming? After all, why would Korra keep such a huge secret from her? Why would Mako be…

"So, what are you going to do now?"

Asami placed her hands on either side, shifting her body toward Bolin.

"I-I don't know" she said softly, honestly unsure of what to do next.

"Well, I can-"

"Korra, I'm gonna leave for the night"

Asami felt her neck snap toward the wall. She quickly glanced at Bolin, who too was staring at the wall. His body was bolt upright, like he'd just been lightening bent at.

"Okay" a muffled voice came, trailing off in pitch.

"Asami, I think we should enact the last part of the plan"

"You mean-"

"I'm gonna check on Bo before heading back"

"Is that really necessary? I mean he was just using the bathroom" Korra said nervously, giving a breathy laugh.

"I don't know. Something just doesn't _feel_ right"

"Asami, now!" Bolin breathed-clear panic in his voice.

"But-"

"No time" he said quickly, jumping off his bed and scooping the girl up in one swift motion.

Asami sucked in sharply as Bolin hoisted her over his shoulder. He walked over to the window, wobbling under their combined body weight.

"Bolin, my shoes" Asami cried, voice full of frustration.

"I'll get them in a sec" the earthbender boy replied coolly, hoisting her up onto the window sill.

"I'll throw them over, you just get down there like we planned" Bolin said firmly, walking away from the window.

Asami gulped hard as she turned her body toward the outside, opening the window with her foot and letting herself fall over the side. She landed in a crouched position.

The air outside was considerably cooler than when she left her room hours earlier. It had stopped raining, but now it was drizzling lightly. The moisture of the grass tickled her bare feet. She looked up toward Bolin's window, waiting to see his figure emerge in the darkness.

"Here" a distant voice called.

Asami stepped back, allowing herself the full view of the window. A pair of pale tatami zori emerged into view. She reached out her arms, catching them with her now moist hands. Asami raised a leg to slip the sandal back on her foot. She repeated the process with the other, now moving closer to the open window.

"Bolin, what about the book?"

"Don't worry, I-"

**Slam**

"Uh oh" Bolin said suddenly, peering behind him.

"He's coming, go hide!" he warned before going back to his bed to pretend sleep.

Asami looked around her, searching the compound for a dry place to hide.

She spotted a hay stack in the immediate distance.

_Iggy won't be too happy, but it'll have to do._

The kids had scattered hay everywhere around this side of the island whenever they attempted to feed the sky bison. One day Ikki and Meelo decided to have a contest. They airbent hay on top of a sizeable boulder nearby, until the stack became unstable and fell over from all the weight. The loser was then in charge of cleaning the bison pen for the week. Asami laughed as she walked over to one stack that became a compete draw between the two. It was about as tall as her, its peak stopping at her shoulders. Asami closed her eyes and exhaled before crouching down behind it_. This really wasn't worth it_ she thought to herself. It was still drizzling out. Asami angled her body toward the harbor, taking in the view.

"It really is beautiful, the city at night…"she said as her voice trailed off.

"I miss it"

The city lights were hazy in the drizzle, fog now covering the cityscape in one huge cloud. It almost looked like it was floating, a mythical paradise even for their world today.

"I wonder if this is what Air Temples looked like" she said to herself softly, smiling as her eyes began to sting. Asami suddenly started giggling.

"And now I'm talking to myself" she said sadly, folding her head forward and tracing the lines engraved in her palm with one cool finger. It was cold out. She wanted nothing more for this to be over, so she could just go inside. She didn't care about confronting Korra anymore; she just needed to go to bed.

A single tear ran down her cheek, making the drizzle feel like hail around her.

* * *

_**Note: Asami knows! && Understandably, she just would like to return home. Poor thing! Just a quick note, "Zori" are traditional Japanese Sandals made from tatami. I envision her having red throngs on her pair to match her red silken night gown with a white lotus flower design. Bolin and Asami's plan is kinda going well… I mean a 3 1/2 -4 foot drop from a window isn't **_**so**_** bad. But now let's see how Korra's holding up. Oh, and jenga hay stacks, anyone?**_


	12. Everything's fine

"Mako, please don't go" Korra said weakly, her voice beginning to shake.

Mako was already filtering into the dark hallway, slamming her doors in his haste.

"Why?" Mako asked, now turning around to face her.

"Well, I-"

"Oh, I get it" he said slowly, coming to walk toward her.

"What?" Korra replied, completely oblivious as to where he was taking this conversation.

Mako stood in front of her, looking in her eyes. Korra parted her lips to speak.

"What are you talking about?" she asked, crossing her arms in the process.

He took her profile in, and then grinned,

"What's so funny?" Korra asked, feeling her body get hot all over.

Mako extended a hand and grabbed her chin, pulling it forward for a kiss. Korra felt her body temperature return to normal when his cool lips met hers. She leaned into his body, feeling his arms uncross hers for a closer embrace. Her mind went blank. She forgot why she had been upset with him minutes earlier. Korra opened her eyes to his smoldering embers, blazing with intrigue.

"It's been a while since you've kissed me like that" he said smoothly, gliding his fingers through her hair.

Korra found it hard to speak. She looked up at him, smiling down on her.

"What were you going to say before?"

"Oh" he said, releasing his hand and placing it back at his side.

"It just occurred to me that you're probably scared" he said nonchalantly, looking away into the distance.

_Scared!_

"And just what would I be scared of, huh?" Korra said, puffing out her chest and pouting.

Mako laughed. He put his arms behind his head, leaning against them for support.

Korra returned back to size, now looking at his grim expression.

"Amon" he said flatly, turning his attention back to the hallway.

"Oh. Right. that" she said in the same tone, instinctively reaching for her side.

Korra looked ahead of her to see the boy's tall figure now entering the dark hall. He extended one pale arm toward the inside of her room, motioning her to follow.

* * *

Bolin lay in the bed motionless. Upon further inspection the covers over him could be seen moving slightly due to the flow of air in and out of his body. Mako walked over to him, reaching the covers over a part of his foot that was left out into the open.

**Thump.**

"What's this?" Mako asked quietly, a puzzled look on his face.

"Here lemme see" Korra said quickly, rushing over to where he now stood.

She took the book in her hands, angling it toward the open windows light.

_Bending techniques anyone could master_ **_by Sifu Kwan Ha Na_**

"This is-"

"Bending techniques anyone could master? _Why would Bolin have something like this?_" Mako asked in an exasperated tone.

"It's mine!" Korra said quickly, laughing a little too loudly.

Mako stared at her, blinking twice.

"You see, I let him borrow it awhile back during the big pro bending match" Korra said slyly, laughing it off.

"Why would Bolin need waterbending technique forms? He's an earthbender"

"Because" Korra drawled, stretching the word out "All forms are connected"

Mako sneered, handing her the book and walking over to the open door.

"Some Avatar knowledge?"

"Of course! Aang's my best friend" she said in a voice mixed with sarcasm and false cheer.

Mako stretched his arms overhead, yawning loudly.

"Whatever, I'm going to bed" he said briskly, now halfway out of the room.

Korra slouched her shoulders, exhaling a deep sigh of relief.

She turned her attention to Bolin, opening her mouth ready to speak.

"Oh, Korra!" Mako's voice came, booming in the distance.

"Yes, Mako?" Korra asked in a falsely sweet tone, moving forward to close the distance.

"Could you close that window in Bo's room? I don't want him catching a cold"

"Sure, sure" Korra replied dryly, waving him off.

She watched as he grinned and ran up the stairs, now out of sight.

Korra listened to his movements above head until she felt he was completely out of earshot. She moved back to Bolin, hovering over him slightly.

"He's gone" she said softly, not sure how to begin the conversation.

Bolin sat upright silently, finding and looking directly into her eyes. He opened his mouth to speak but Korra cut him off.

"How long have I known" she said in a gentle voice.

Bolin closed his mouth, nodding.

"A while" she said with a slight grin.

"Your floorboards squeak"

"Monkey feathers" Bolin said, his face frowning in displeasure.

Korra walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, squeezing tight.

"I'm sorry all this happened. I know it must be especially rough on you"

"I can manage" Bolin said sternly, unwrapping her arms.

Korra stepped back from the boy, startled. He took the book from her hands and swung his feet from out under the covers.

"Whose book is that?" Korra asked, although she already knew the answer.

"It's Asami's" Bolin said heavily, his shoulders sinking.

"Where is she?"

"Outside my window somewhere, hiding"

Korra paused for a moment, letting the nights events wash over her.

"How much did she hear?" she said slowly, her body feeling heavy.

Bolin looked up at her, his green eyes piercing her blue ones.

Korra nodded, stepping further back and crossing her arms.

"Everything"

* * *

Korra watched as a pale arm emerged into view, grasping Bolin's wrist firmly. He heaved once, and Asami emerged into the room. She stood in front of the open window, smoothing out her damp clothing; patting down her frizzy hair. Korra looked down, thinking about leaving the room. She didn't know what to say to her-how to react. If she was in her shoes, she would most likely hit her. Korra shook her head back and forth smiling.

_Asami wasn't that type of girl._

**Slap.**

_Apparently I was wrong._

Korra reflexively lifted one hand to her cheek, holding the assaulted area. She looked at Asami, who was fuming. Her face was the darkest shade of peach; her hair layered messily on either side-framing her face. Bolin stood behind her off to one side, hands raised in a surrender position-clearly unsure of what to do.

Korra stood up straight, looking at Asami in both eyes.

"I deserved that" she said, rubbing her cheek.

"Yes, you did" she replied coldly, crossing her arms.

Bolin rushed between them, holding his arms up to block either one from any contact.

"Relax, Bo. I'm not the type to retaliate against a friend" Korra said calmly, pushing his arm aside. Asami tensed at this comment, then looked down in shame.

Korra held out both arms and pulled her close, embracing her.

"I would have done the same thing" she whispered into her friend's damp hair.

* * *

The three of them were sitting on Bolin's bed in a circular position. Asami had calmed down some, much to Korra's delight. Bolin had decided to break the tension in the room by telling some bad jokes. Korra and Asami both laughed at his attempt lightheartedly.

"So, how did it begin?" Asami asked suddenly, looking at Korra with her usual demeanor.

"How did what begin?"

"You and…_him_"

"Oh" Korra said, looking down in embarrassment.

"Well" she began, rubbing her hands together with nervousness

"The first night I went to the pro bending arena" she said shyly.

"Wait" Asami said, extending her hands and rolling on her knees to lean closer to Korra.

"Wasn't that your first night in the city? She asked, voice full of shock.

"First week actually" Korra said sheepishly, looking up at the girl.

"W-why?" Asami said, sitting back while wrapping a hand around her chin.

"That doesn't make sense. With that timeline, it means that he already-"

"Started sleeping with her before he met you, yes" Bolin chimed quietly.

Both girls looked at each other with unease, and then turned to the boy seated in between them.

"Bolin, what do you know? Asami asked him, moving closer to him so that her face was a breaths away from his.

"Ummm" Bolin gasped, squirming in position.

"Bolin!" Korra called, wanting to know the truth.

Bolin sighed, extending his arms out and gently pushing Asami back to her original position. He then looked at her and Korra before sighing again heavily.

"It's because of Tahno"

* * *

"What do you mean, because of Tahno?"

"Mako heard from Hasook after the match that he liked you, and well…" his voice trailed off.

"Bolin!" Asami said, her voice now rising in anger

"He kinda has this complex when it comes to Tahno. He always has to be better than him; always _wants _what he has" Bolin said slowly, looking up at Korra with uneasy eyes.

"He was..."

_Using me._

"That little snakemonkey has been using me!" Korra cried.

Asami placed an arm on her shoulder, trying to console her.

"He's been using both of us" she said through gritted teeth.

Bolin shrunk back against the wall, sighing sadly.

"I'm sorry guys, I only found out recently" he said softly, letting his head fall back against the wall.

"From who?" Korra asked, her mouth dry.

"Skoochy told me the story when I went to play with him a while back. Actually just before you went missing, Korra" Bolin said thoughtfully

"Hmmm" Asami said, sitting up.

"So what happened then?" she asked, hand still sprawled across her chin.

Bolin looked uncomfortable, not wanting to dishonor his brother.

"Bolin!" Korra protested, her voice weak with emotion.

He looked at her with heavy eyes, choosing to continue with visible pain.

"Well, it all started when Tenzin sent me into town to get fruit for Ikki and Pema. Pema had been craving something exotic, and Ikki was there and you know how she is, so of course she wanted some too-Anyways" Bolin lifted his head back up. He moved closer to the wall for support staring at the two girls who were eager to hear the rest of his story.

* * *

_**Note: Things just keep getting weirder and weirder. That darn Mako. Next chapter is some Bolin flashback time! (Sorry this one is so short, the following one will be much longer)**_


End file.
